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Saturday, September 21, 2024

Olympic Soccer 2024: How to Watch Football From Anywhere


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The US women’s team has clinched a spot in the knockout rounds with one game to play. With a win or a draw against Australia today, the USWNT will finish atop Group B. Today’s game starts at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 3 a.m. Thursday AEST. In the US, the game will air on E! and stream on Peacock. 

Meanwhile, the US men’s team finished second in their group and have advanced past the group stage for the first time in 24 years. They play Morocco in the quarterfinals on Friday at Parc des Princes, home of Paris Saint-Germain.

US players listen to their national anthem before the women's group A football match between the USA and Zambia during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Nice Stadium US players listen to their national anthem before the women's group A football match between the USA and Zambia during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Nice Stadium

The USWNT faces Australia on Wednesday to close out the group stage.

VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images

The men’s event is often seen as a tournament for emerging talent rather than big-name stars, thanks in part to many clubs preventing their key players from appearing — a situation exacerbated by the Olympics taking place almost immediately after the European Championships and the Copa America. 

Nevertheless, that gives younger stars of the future and players on the fringes a chance to shine on the international stage. France’s Michael Olise, Argentina’s Julian Alvarez and Spain’s Juan Miranda are all expected to play big roles. Former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry is set to serve as coach for the host nation.

Walker Zimmerman #3 of Team USA celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Men's group A match between New Zealand and United States during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Marseille Walker Zimmerman #3 of Team USA celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Men's group A match between New Zealand and United States during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Marseille

The USMNT have qualified for the knockout rounds and face Morocco on Friday.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

It’s a somewhat different story for the women’s event, with the qualified teams set to feature more familiar squads. Unlike the men’s tournament, sides aren’t limited to having three players over the age of 23, meaning star players such as Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí of Spain, Brazilian forward Marta and up-and-coming striker Sophia Smith of the US are all set to feature. 

World Cup holders Spain come into the women’s tournament as favorites, while all eyes are on how the USWNT performs under the guidance of new English coach Emma Hayes. 

While Peacock is the best way to stream the 2024 Olympic games, you can watch much of the Olympics across NBC’s family of channels — NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel — with cable or satellite TV or a live TV streaming service. 

How to watch the Olympic football events

If you’re looking to stream soccer at the 2024 Olympics in the US, you’ll want Peacock. Even after a recent price hike, which raises the monthly charge from $6 to $8, Peacock is one of the most affordable streaming services. With it, you can watch any event live; NBC states Peacock will stream 5,000 hours of live coverage throughout the Games, including all 329 medal events and, crucially, every fixture of both the men’s and women’s football events.

In addition to livestreaming each event, Peacock will have a whip-around show, Gold Zone, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET (4 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT) each day. If you’re watching an event on Gold Zone that you’re really into, you can continue to watch it even if Gold Zone cuts away to something else. Peacock will display Live Action on-screen prompts that will let you stay with the event or follow Gold Zone’s coverage.

Peacock will also have four multiview options that will let you watch four events at once. You’ll be able to watch NBC’s nightly Primetime in Paris show on Peacock, and Peacock will have its own daily recap show “hosted” by AI-generated Al Michaels.

James Martin/CNET

Peacock offers two Premium plans, and as of July 18. each raised its monthly price by $2 — a week before the Games began. After the price increases, the ad-supported Premium plan costs $8 a month, and the ad-free Premium plan costs $14 a month. You can use either Premium plan to watch the Olympics.

If you’re a new Peacock customer, subscriptions cost $8 per month for Peacock Premium and $14 a month for Peacock Premium Plus. Annual plans are $80 for Premium, while Premium Plus costs $140 a year. Existing subscribers will pay these new rates starting on Aug. 17.

Read our Peacock review.

Where are the 2024 Olympic football matches being held?

Both the men’s and women’s soccer tournaments will take place across six stadiums in France — the Stade de Marseille, the Stade de Lyon, the Stade de Bordeaux, the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne, the Stade de Nice, the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes and the iconic Parc des Princes in Paris, where both gold medal matches will take place. 

When do the USMNT and USWNT play next?

The US women close out the group stage against Australia today at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 3 a.m. Thursday AEST on E! and Peacock. 

The women’s quarterfinal matches to begin the knockout rounds take place on Saturday.

Sophia Smith #11 of the United States celebrates scoring during the first half against Germany during the Women's group B match during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Marseille Sophia Smith #11 of the United States celebrates scoring during the first half against Germany during the Women's group B match during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de Marseille

Win or lose today, Sophia Smith and the USWNT are headed to the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament on Saturday.

Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images

The US men’s quarterfinal match against Morocco is set for Friday at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 5 a.m. Saturday AEST on Peacock.

A full list of fixtures for both events can be found at the foot of this page. 

What’s the time difference between Paris and the US?

Paris is six hours ahead of New York and the rest of the Eastern time zone. It’s seven hours ahead of the Central time zone, eight hours ahead of Mountain time and nine hours ahead of Pacific time.

This difference means that most events will be shown live in the morning and afternoon for US viewers.

Do I need Peacock to watch Olympic soccer in the US?

Nope, you can watch select fixtures on TV, but Peacock will give you access to every fixture in both tournaments.

In the US, you need five TV channels for the Olympics: NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel. USA Network will show US team sports, including soccer. 

NBC will broadcast its Primetime in Paris show each evening in the US. Mike Tirico hosts the show, which includes reports from Snoop Dogg. 

What’s the best live TV streaming service for the Olympics?

Sling TV is the most affordable option if you live in one of the few markets where it offers NBC. Failing that, YouTube is the best service for the Olympics because its base plan, which costs $73, offers all five channels you’ll need. 

If Sling takes a conditional gold medal and YouTube TV gets the silver among live TV streaming services for watching the Olympics, then Hulu with Live TV is awarded the bronze. It costs only $4 more per month than YouTube TV and includes all five channels for watching the Olympics.

Read more: Best Sports Streaming Service for 2024

With a live TV streaming subscription (or cable/satellite plan), you’ll be able to authenticate yourself as a pay TV subscriber to watch live streams of every event on NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC app or the NBC Olympics app. That’s a great option if you don’t want to sign up for Peacock and want to pick and choose which events to watch.

Sling TV/CNET

Sling TV’s $40-a-month Blue plan includes NBC, USA Network and E!. You can add CBNC for an extra $6 a month and the Golf Channel for another $11 a month. Even with those add-ons, Sling TV is the cheapest way to get all five channels for the Olympics — provided you live in one of the few markets where Sling offers NBC.

Read our Sling TV review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to confirm which local networks are available in your area.

Read our YouTube TV review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Hulu with Live TV costs $77 a month and includes NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to confirm which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.

Read our Hulu with Live TV review.

All of the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. For more information, check out our live TV streaming services guide.

How to watch Olympic football from anywhere with a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the Olympic soccer locally, you may need a different way to watch the games — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

James Martin/CNET

Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 25% speed loss in 2024 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you’ll get three months free and save 49%. That’s the equivalent of $6.67 a month with code SPECIALDEAL, which should be automatically applied.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Livestream 2024 Olympic football in the UK

The BBC will broadcast the 2024 Games on its free-to-air channels, but coverage is limited to BBC One and BBC Two. You can also live stream all the action from Paris on BBC iPlayer. 

Carl Court/Getty Images

The BBC iPlayer has dedicated apps available for Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as a vast array of smart TVs and streaming boxes, all you need is a valid UK TV license to stream the tournament.

The BBC promises more than 250 hours of live coverage of the Olympics across the two channels, but not every match of the men’s and women’s football events is set to be shown. For those in the UK wanting more comprehensive coverage of both tournaments as well as the Olympics as a whole, Discovery Plus is where it’s at, which is offering 3,800 hours of live coverage across 55 dedicated online channels.

Sarah Tew/CNET

A subscription to Discovery Plus in the UK costs £7 per month or £60 for the year.

The service is available on a wide array of devices, and also includes access to all Eurosport TV channels.

Livestream 2024 Olympic soccer in Australia

Aussies can watch Olympic football on more than Nine Network. The network will have select live coverage of the Olympics and you can watch on-demand highlights on the network’s streaming service 9Now.

Meanwhile, pay-TV service Stan Sport will show all 329 Olympic events ad-free and in 4K Ultra HD. 

Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Channel 9’s streaming service 9Now is free to use for viewers in Australia, with dedicated apps for Android and Apple devices, as well as Amazon Fire, plus a wide range of smart TVs.

Stan Sport

Stan Sport costs AU$10 a month (on top of an AU$10 Stan subscription), but the streaming service is currently offering a seven-day free trial. It will show every event — ad-free and in 4K — and you’ll be able to stream live or on-demand.

Livestream 2024 Olympic soccer in Canada

In Canada, the Games will be broadcast on TV channels CBC, TSN and Sportsnet. They will be shown on the free CBC Gem streaming service also.

Screenshot by Josh Goldman/CNET

The free CBC Gem streaming service will show live events each day of the 2024 Olympics.

Quick tips for streaming 2024 Olympic football using a VPN 

  • With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming the Olympic soccer live may vary.
  • If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
  • If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
  • All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help since both devices will appear to be in the correct location. 
  • Remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.

2024 Olympic men’s football: Remaining schedule

Quarterfinals

Friday, Aug. 2

Match 26: Morocco vs. United States (Paris; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)
Match 28: Japan vs. Spain (Décines-Charpieu; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
Match 27: Egypt vs. Paraguay (Marseille; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
Match 25: France vs. Argentina (Bordeaux; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Semifinals

Monday, Aug. 5
Match 30: Winners of Match 26 vs. Winners of Match 28 (Marseille; 6 p.m. CET / 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 8 p.m. AEST)
Match 29: Winners of Match 25 vs. Winners of Match 27 (Décines-Charpieu; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Bronze medal match

Thursday, Aug. 8

Losers of Match 29 vs. Losers of Match 30 (Nantes; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

Final

Friday, Aug. 9

Winners of Match 29 vs. Winners of Match 30 (Paris; 6 p.m. CET / 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 8 p.m. AEST)

2024 Olympic women’s football: Remaining schedule

Group stage

GROUP A
Wednesday, July 31
New Zealand vs. France (Décines-Charpieu; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)
Colombia vs. Canada (Nice; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

GROUP B
Wednesday, July 31
Australia vs. United States (Marseille; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
Zambia vs. Germany (Saint-Étienne; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)

GROUP C
Wednesday, July 31
Brazil vs. Spain (Bordeaux; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
Japan vs. Nigeria (Nantes; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

Quarterfinals

Saturday, Aug. 3

Match 20: Winners of Group B vs. Runners-up of Group C (Paris; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)
Match 21: Winners of Group C vs. Third in Group A or B (Décines-Charpieu; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
Match 22: Runners-up of Group A vs. Runners-up of Group B (Marseille; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
Match 19: Winners of Group A vs. Third in Group B or C (Nantes; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Semifinals

Tuesday, Aug. 6

Match 24: Winners of Match 20 vs. Winners of Match 22 (Décines-Charpieu; 6 p.m. CET / 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 8 p.m. AEST)
Match 23: Winners of Match 19 vs. Winners of Match 21 (Marseille; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Bronze medal match

Friday, Aug.  9
Losers of Match 23 vs. Losers of Match 24 (Décines-Charpieu; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

Final

Saturday, Aug. 10

Winners of Match 23 vs. Winners of Match 24 (Paris; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)



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