The FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Manchester United will take place on Saturday, May 25 with kickoff at 3 PM BST. With the fierce local rivalry between these two teams, this promises to be a match you won’t want to miss. Luckily, you don’t have to be there in person to show your support. Below, we’ll let you know how you can stream the FA Cup Final live online.
It’s important to note that we’ll only be recommending official FA Cup sources. There are almost always unlicensed streams showing high-profile sporting events like these, but we advise against using them. To begin with, they’re often laggy, with low-resolution video. Further, copyright holders have been known to monitor link-sharing forums and have unauthorised streams taken down mid-match. Given that you can watch the final for free, there’s really no reason to use an unofficial stream.
Popular streaming platforms often geo-block their content, meaning it’s only available to users in specific countries. As a result, you’ll need a VPN to use these services while traveling abroad.
How to stream the FA Cup Final from abroad with a VPN
Even if you’ve never used a VPN before, it’s easy to access geo-blocked content abroad.
Here’s how to stream the FA Cup Final 2024 online from anywhere:
- Start by signing up for a suitable VPN service. We recommend NordVPN but Surfshark and ExpressVPN are two fantastic alternatives.
- Download and install the app. There will be a few different versions so make sure to get the appropriate version.
- Decide which of the services you’d like to use and connect to a server in the relevant location. For instance, you’ll need a British server to regain access to BBC iPlayer or an American sever for ESPN+.
- Try playing a video on your chosen site. It should work perfectly, but if not, clear your browser’s cache and cookies, then refresh the page.
Since the FA Cup Final will be broadcast live, it’s a good idea to test your VPN in advance. In doing so, you ensure that there’s still time to get help if anything doesn’t work as expected. This also means that you might not have to miss the start of what’s sure to be an extremely important match.
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How to watch the 2024 FA Cup Final for free in the UK
You can watch Manchester City vs Manchester United free-of-charge on both BBC iPlayer and ITVX. If you’re planning on live streaming the FA Cup final, you’ll need a TV license, but you can always watch on-demand the following day without (on ITVX).
These services only work in the UK but If you’re abroad, you can still watch the FA Cup Final by connecting to a VPN. We recommend NordVPN which includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it risk-free and receive a full refund if you don’t want to keep it.
Where else can I live stream the FA Cup Final?
Some of the best soccer teams in the world compete in the FA Cup, so it’s no surprise that there’s a huge amount of international interest. Luckily, this match will be shown live in dozens of countries; take a look below to find your country’s official FA Cup broadcaster.
USA
In the US, the 2024 FA Cup will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+. This service costs $10.99 USD per month (or $109.99 per year). As an added bonus, you’ll also be able to stream this match on-demand for a few days after it airs, so there’s no need to worry if you have other plans on May 25.
ESPN+ is geo-blocked and currently only available in the United States. As a result, you’ll have to use a VPN to access it from other countries.
Canada
Soccer fans in Canada can watch these matches live on Sportsnet. If your cable TV package already includes Sportsnet, you can log in and start streaming at no added cost. If not, you can sign up to this platform’s over-the-top service, Sportsnet Now for $19.99 CAD per month. Unfortunately, there’s no trial period, but as Sportsnet is the only network showing the FA Cup Final in Canada, there isn’t much you can do about it.
Sportsnet is only available in Canada. If you usually live in Canada but are currently abroad, you can simply use a Canadian VPN server to access this service.
Australia
The broadcast rights to the FA Cup have changed hands again, and now Paramount+ is the only place Australian fans can watch. The final will be broadcast live at 12 AM AEST (Sunday, May 26) and available on-demand so you can watch at a more reasonable time. Paramount Plus costs $9.99 AUD per month and comes with a seven-day trial. In other words, you can stream the FA Cup final for free, provided you cancel in time.
The service above is geo-blocked. This means that you’ll need a VPN to watch from outside of Australia.
Middle East & North Africa
beIN Sports will be showing the FA Cup Final match across the Middle East & North Africa. Prices (and free trial availability) vary from one country to another, but you can generally expect a monthly subscription to cost around $10 USD. Additionally, beIN Sports generally offers commentary in several different languages, so you won’t have to read subtitles during those tense moments.
This service has separate, geo-restricted sites for each of its supported regions. You can easily access a specific country’s version of the site from abroad using a VPN, however.
Other locations
These matches will be broadcast in far too many locations to cover individually. If we haven’t mentioned your country above, you might want to take a look at the list of international FA Cup broadcasters. Many of these will have their own streaming platform, and perhaps even a trial period. This means that with a bit of luck, you’ll be able to watch the FA Cup final live, wherever you are in the world.