Scoring the Best TV Providers for Soccer Fans in 2021

Name: Scoring the Best TV Providers for Soccer Fans in 2021
Item: Scoring the Best TV Providers for Soccer Fans in 2021
Rating: 4.0
Author: Randy Harward

Soccer fans can get their kicks with these fútbol-friendly cable, satellite, and streaming TV providers.

Best overall for soccer

Editorial rating (4.0/5)

Price: $64.99–$79.99/mo.

Soccer channels: 32 (18 in Spanish)

Available add-ons: FOX Soccer Plus

View plans

Best value for soccer

Editorial rating (3.5/5)

Price: $44.99–$94.99/mo.

Soccer channels: 21 (7 in Spanish)

Available add-ons: FOX Soccer Plus, MLS Direct Kick

View plans

Cheapest

Price: $5.99/mo.

Soccer content: Matches and tournaments from 18+ pro soccer leagues, plus on-demand replay

View plans

By Randy Harward Edited By Mikayla Rivera

Share | Jan 14, 2021

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Soccer channels
Soccer on cable and satellite TV
Streaming soccer
Watch soccer free
Final take
FAQ

First touch

As soccer muscles its way into greater popularity, its TV coverage is increasing. We’ve researched the best cable and satellite TV providers for watching soccer—as well as the best soccer streaming services—so you can watch as much fútbol as possible.

Starting lineup: What soccer TV channels do I need?

Nobody has enough time to watch every televised soccer game in the world. But we can try. A good first step is to find a cable, satellite, or streaming TV provider that carries the most soccer channels possible.

In this piece, we’ll show you which cable, satellite, and streaming providers are best for soccer (spoiler alert: we like fuboTV, Spectrum, and ESPN+). We’ll even suggest ways to watch soccer for free.

But first, we’ll answer your question with this list:

The best channels for watching soccer

beIN Sports broadcasts MLS soccer matches in Asia and South America.
ESPN offers regular-season Major League Soccer (MLS) matches.
ESPN+ covers Serie A, MLS, Copa America, English Football League, Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, Copa Italia, Superliga, Indian Super League, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, and more.
FOX Sports, FS1, and FS2 broadcast major international soccer tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
FOX Soccer Plus features a wide variety of international leagues and matches, including UEFA Europa League, UEFA Champions League, the German Bundesliga, and more.
GolTV broadcasts (in English and Spanish) a variety of international soccer leagues, such as the Portuguese Primeira Liga. It doesn’t carry MLS or Premier League matches, unfortunately.
MLS Direct Kick offers access to out-of-market games for fans whose favorite team is in another city.
NBC and NBC Sports are the sole broadcasters of Premier League matches and the championship UEFA Europa League in the US.
Telemundo is NBC’s Spanish-language channel, and it offers a lot of soccer coverage, including the FIFA World Cup.

Find more football on TV

Several sites compile lists of upcoming televised soccer matches for pro leagues around the world, along with details on where to watch them. Our favorite is LiveSoccer.tv—check it out.

Best cable and satellite TV providers for soccer

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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	Best value for soccer Spectrum	Mejor en español DISH	Optimum	DIRECTV	RCN	Cox	Xfinity
Package price range	$44.99–$94.99/mo.§	$64.99–$99.99/mo.˚	$74.99–$124.99/mo.•	$64.99–$134.99.¶	$59.99–$82.12/mo.**	$25–$69.99/mo.‡‡	$49.99–$89.49/mo.§§
A
ABC	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
B
beIN SPORTS	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS en Español	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 2	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 3	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 4	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 5	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 6	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 7	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 8	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
C
CBS	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
CBS Sports Network	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
E
ESPN	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
ESPN2	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
ESPN Deportes	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
F
FOX	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
FOX Deportes	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
FOX Sports 1 (FS1)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
FOX Sports 2 (FS2)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
FOX Soccer Plus†	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
G
GolTV	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗
M
MLS Direct Kick‡	✓	✗	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓
N
NBC	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
NBCSN	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
T
Telemundo	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
TNT	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓		✓
TV Chile	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗
TUDN	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓
U
UniMás	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Universo	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓
Univision	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓	✓
Z
Zona Fútbol	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗

Data as of 1/28/20. Channel availability may vary by plan. Plan availability may vary by location and is subject to change.
Spanish channels may be part of a separate Spanish-language package.
† Premium add-on ($15/mo.)
‡ Premium add-on ($22.25/mo.)
§ For the first 12 mos.
˚ For 24 months with a 2-year agreement and eAutoPay.
• For 24 months. Plus taxes, fees, and other charges. Price for Life available on select plans. Customer must remain in good standing an up to date on bill payments to remain on Price for Life.
¶ For 12 months with a 2-year contract, paperless bill, & autopay. Price increases for months 13-24.
** For the first 12 mos.
†† For 12 mos. Plus taxes.
‡‡ For the first 12 mos.
§§ For the first 12 mos.

Many channels that come standard in cable TV packages like ESPN, NBC, and Telemundo offer basic soccer coverage. But if you want detailed analysis, highlights, and other goodies, you’ll probably want to look at dedicated sports packages like FOX Soccer Plus and MLS Direct Kick.

We’ve compared offerings from all the major cable and satellite TV providers to see which has the most comprehensive coverage of both domestic and international soccer pitches. Here’s some insight into the best qualities of each.

Soccer stats: Cable and satellite TV providers

DISH/DISH Latino ($64.99–$94.99/mo.˚): 26 soccer channels (13 broadcast in Spanish); FOX Soccer Plus available
Optimum Internet & TV ($74.99–$124.99./mo.•): 22 soccer channels (8 Spanish); FOX Soccer Plus and MLS Direct Kick available
DIRECTV ($64.99–$134.99/mo.¶): 21 soccer channels (8 Spanish); FOX Soccer Plus and MLS Direct Kick available
Spectrum ($44.99–$94.99/mo.§): 21 soccer channels (7 Spanish); FOX Soccer Plus and MLS Direct Kick available
RCN ($59.99–$82.12/mo.**): 18 channels (6 Spanish); FOX Soccer Plus available
Cox ($25–$69.99/mo.‡‡ ): 17 channels (6 Spanish); one of only two providers to carry Zona Fútbol; MLS Direct Kick available
Xfinity ($49.99–$89.49/mo.§§ ): 17 channels (5 Spanish); MLS Direct Kick available

§ For the first 12 mos.
˚ For 24 months with a 2-year agreement and eAutoPay.
• For 24 months. Plus taxes, fees, and other charges. Price for Life available on select plans. Customer must remain in good standing an up to date on bill payments to remain on Price for Life.
¶ For 12 months with a 2-year contract, paperless bill, & autopay. Price increases for months 13-24.
** For the first 12 mos.
†† For 12 mos. Plus taxes.
‡‡ For the first 12 mos.
§§ For the first 12 mos.

The Consensus: For the most comprehensive soccer coverage, Spectrum is probably your best bet. It has access to all the key channels for MLS and Premier League matches, plus 7 Spanish soccer channels. DIRECTV and Optimum also have most of the key channels covered, and DIRECTV gets some exclusive UEFA matches you won’t find anywhere else. But Spectrum is a better value.

fuboTV is the best overall streaming service for soccer, with 32 soccer channels (18 en Español) and FOX Soccer Plus available for an additional $15 a month.

If your budget is too tight to accommodate a cable, satellite, or streaming service package, the super-cheap ESPN+ app has live and on-demand soccer events from 18 pro leagues for only $4.99 a month. Or you can watch soccer for free with Pluto’s MLS channel.

Spectrum’s cable packages offer the best value. Spectrum Gold ($90 a month) has 200+ channels, including premiums like HBO®, NFL Network, SHOWTIME®, STARZ®, STARZ ENCORE, and TMC.

If you can’t get Spectrum in your area, satellite TV has nearly 100% availability. So DISH (26 channels; FOX Soccer Plus available) and DIRECTV (21 channels; FSP and MLS Direct Kick available) are decent bets—especially for Spanish speakers (DISH has more soccer channels).

Now let’s have a look at streaming TV providers’ soccer offerings.

Best streaming services for soccer

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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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	Best overall for soccer fuboTV	Cheapest for soccer ESPN+*	AT&T TV NOW	Sling TV	YouTube TV	Hulu + Live TV	Bleacher Report Live*	Peacock Premium
Package price range	$64.99–$79.99/mo.‡	$5.99/mo. or $49.99/yr.	$55–$135/mo.	$30–$45/mo.	$64.99/mo.	$64.99–$70.99/mo.	$9.99/mo. or $79.99/yr.	$4.99–$9.99/mo.
A
ABC	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗
B
beIN SPORTS	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS Connect La Liga	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS en Español	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS CONNECT	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 2	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 3	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 4	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 5	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 6	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 7	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 8	✓	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 9	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
beIN SPORTS 10	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
C
CBS	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
CBS Sports Network	✓	✗	✓	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗
E
Ecuador TV	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Ecuavisa Internacional	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Eleven Sports	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
ESPN	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
ESPN2	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
ESPN3	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗
ESPN Deportes	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
F
FOX	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
FOX Deportes	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
FOX Sports	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗
FOX Sports 1 (FS1)	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
FOX Sports 2 (FS2)	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
FOX Soccer Plus†	✓	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗
fuboTV Sports Network	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
G
GolTV	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
L
LAFC	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗
M
MLS Direct Kick‡	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
N
NBC	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓
NBCSN	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✓
NBC Sports	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✗	✗	✓
O
Orlando City	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗
P
Perú Mágico	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
S
SUR Perú	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
T
Telemundo	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
TNT	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗
TUDN	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
TV Chile	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
TyC Sports	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
U
UniMás	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Universo	✓	✗	✓	✓	✓	✗	✗	✗
Univision	✓	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
W
WAPA America	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗
Z
Zona Fútbol	✓	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗	✗

Soccer stats: Streaming TV providers

Streaming services tend to have more soccer channels—but a near-total lack of FOX Soccer Plus (only fuboTV and YouTube TV offer it) and MLS Direct Kick (unavailable from any of the services we researched).

Here’s a breakdown of our findings, separated into livestreaming services and on-demand apps.

Channel availability may vary by plan. Plan availability may vary by location and is subject to change.
Spanish channels may be part of a separate Spanish-language package.
Some providers require an OTA antenna to receive local channels.
* ESPN+, Bleacher Report Live, and NBC Sports Gold focus on events, not channels
† Premium add-on ($15/mo.)
‡ For the first three months ($79.99 thereafter)

fuboTV ($64.99–$79.99/mo.): 32 soccer channels (18 in Spanish); FOX Soccer Plus available
AT&T TV NOW ($55–$135/mo.): 26 channels (15 Spanish)—but it’s closed to new customers.
Sling TV ($30–$45/mo.): 23 channels (9 Spanish) but some require ordering additional sports content (costs an extra $10–$20/mo.)
YouTubeTV ($64.99/mo.): 18 channels (2 Spanish) including regional LAFC and Orlando City action; FOX Soccer Plus available
Hulu + Live TV ($60.99–$70.99/mo.): 11 channels (1 Spanish)
ESPN+ ($5.99/mo. or $49.99/yr.): Live soccer from 18 pro leagues, including Serie A, MLS, Copa America, EFL, Eredivisie, Copa Italia, UEFA Nations League, and more.
Bleacher Report Live ($9.99/mo. or $79.99/yr.): Includes all UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches plus Scottish Premiership, Belgian Pro League, and UEFA Youth League.
Peacock Premium ($4.99–$9.99/mo.): Replaces NBC Sports Gold’s expensive Matchday Pass and Premier League Pass ($34.99 and $54.99/mo., respectively), but has the same on-demand access to all 380 matches plus soccer shows, highlights, and analysis—plus tons of movies and shows.

fuboTV is the best streaming service for soccer, not to mention the best overall. It has the most soccer channels (and mucho más Español channels) and also offers FOX Soccer Plus ($15 a month). Peacock Premium, however, gives you a ton of live and on-demand soccer (plus a ton of other movies and shows) for only $4.99 a month—an amazing deal for anyone on a budget.

Also, fuboTV’s Ultra package ($79.99 a month) gives you tons of other channels, including SHOWTIME®. You also get 500 hours of DVR space—with no limit on how long you can keep your recordings, three streams, and 130+ events broadcast in 4k. That’s an incredible value.

But before you buy… Did you know that you can get your kicks for free?

fubo Sports Network (FSN): Separate from fuboTV, FSN allows you to watch live soccer free online, on your phone, or on your TV. It also includes soccer-themed original content: The Cooligans (soccer talk), Football Report (news), and The Players’ Lounge with Cobi Jones & PJ Harrison (vodcast).
Pluto: This free service has 200+ live and on-demand channels, including Major League Soccer channel, Eleven Sports, and FOX Sports.
Xumo: This live and on-demand service has 180+ free channels, including Copa 90, Eleven Sports, Football Daily, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports, and fubo Sports Network.

Soccer stats: Free TV providers

If your budget can’t spare even five bucks a month for Peacock Premium, we get it—we’ve been there. Here’s how you can watch a ton of soccer without paying a penny.

Free kicks: How to watch live soccer at no charge

OTA antennas

You can get an indoor over-the-air (OTA) antenna for as little as $25—we recommend the Mohu Releaf. With this device, live soccer coverage from your local network affiliates is free. (Check out our guide to OTA TV.) Then you can get the MLS channel with the free streaming service Pluto.

Tweeeeeeeeeeeeet! What’s the best way to watch soccer on TV? Our picks all offer a lot of soccer in both English and Spanish.

fuboTV is our overall pick for the best streaming service for soccer. Cable provider Spectrum offers the best value. ESPN+ is hands-down the cheapest way to watch. And if your piggy bank holds only pennies and pocket lint, there’s always Pluto’s free MLS channel.

So it’s player’s choice: You can’t go wrong with any of these providers. Pick one that’s right for you.

Final whistle

Bonus soccer

What do you watch when there’s not a game on, you’ve caught up on all the sports talk shows, and you’ve seen all the YouTube highlight clips a zillion times? Check out the Mexican soccer comedy-drama Club de Cuervos (a.k.a. Club of Crows) and its spinoff, The Ballad of Hugo Sanchez, on Netflix. Each series is exceptionally well written, funny, and touching—with enough soccer action to tackle your craving.

How to watch soccer on TV FAQ

Where can I watch soccer on TV?

Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, so there are a lot of ways to watch it. You can find cable, satellite, and streaming services that offer a lot of live soccer matches as well as analysis and news.

We recommend ESPN+, which covers a wide range of pro soccer leagues for only $5.99 a month. (Pro tip: You can bundle ESPN+ with Disney+ and Hulu Basic for $12.99 a month.)

Another great option is Peacock Premium, which has on-demand access to all 380 Premier League matches plus soccer shows, highlights, and analysis—not to mention a lot of non-soccer related movies and series. And it’s only $4.99 a month (or $9.99 per month for no ads and offline viewing).

What soccer leagues does ESPN have?

ESPN+ has a bunch of soccer leagues. You’ll be able to watch matches and tournaments from Serie A, MLS, Copa America, The Emirates FA Cup, English Football League (EFL), Carabao Cup (EFL), Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Eredivisie, Copa Italia, Superliga, Indian Super League, Hyundai A-League, International Champions Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, and more.

Can you watch ESPN+ on TV?

Yes, you can watch ESPN+ on a TV as long as you use one of these supported devices: AppleTV (Generation 3 & 4), Roku, Chromecast, FireTV, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Oculus Go, and Samsung connected TVs (Tizen).

What is the best channel for soccer?

The best channel for soccer is the one where you can find the most action from your favorite leagues.

If you want the most live soccer, along with analysis and commentary, look into a subscription service like FOX Soccer Plus ($15 a month) or MLS Direct Kick ($22.25 a month). But you’ll need to find a cable, satellite, or streaming TV provider that offers them. Unfortunately, that means you’ll probably have to subscribe to a standard TV package too.

A much cheaper alternative is ESPN+, which gives you tons of live soccer for about five bucks a month.

Can you watch soccer games on Hulu?

You can watch live soccer games on Hulu + Live TV, but it’s not the best streaming service for the sport. You’d do better with fuboTV or Sling TV. Both services offer more soccer channels at a better price.

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