It’s a huge La Liga showdown on Sunday evening, as third-placed Atlético Madrid host second-placed Barcelona in a match that’s likely to have a big impact on this season’s title race in Spain.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game as it happens, wherever you are in the world, and how to use a VPN if you need it.
With Real Madrid going top after claiming a crucial 2-1 away win against Villareal yesterday, the pressure is on both of their fellow contenders to keep pace today.
Barcelona are now 3 points behind Real, but have two games in hand, including today’s game. They come into this clash after easily beating Benfica in midweek to claim their spot in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.
Atlético, meanwhile, must bounce back after suffering penalty shootout heartbreak in their grueling UCL clash with local rivals Real on Wednesday.
Atlético Madrid take on Barcelona at the Metropolitano Stadium on Sunday, March 16. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CET local time, making it a 4 p.m. ET and 1 p.m. PT start in the US, an 8 p.m. GMT start in the UK and 7 a.m. AEDT kickoff in Australia on Monday morning.
Brazilian star Raphinha scored a brace in Barcelona’s 3-1 Champions League win over Benfica on Wednesday.
How to watch Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona in the US without cable
This match is available to stream in the US via ESPN Plus, which has live English and Spanish-language broadcast rights for La Liga in the US.
How to watch La Liga from anywhere with a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view La Liga matches 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.
Livestream Atlético Madrid vs. Barcelona in the UK for free
Sunday’s crunch match in the title race is one of a select number of La Liga games being shown live this season by free-to-air broadcaster ITV.
Coverage begins on ITV4 at 7:30 p.m. GMT ahead of the 8 p.m. GMT kickoff. That also means you’ll be able to stream the game online via the network’s online ITVX service.
Alternatively, La Liga broadcast rights in the UK are also with Premier Sports, which will be showing a minimum of five live matches per week from Spain’s top league on its Premier Sports 1 and 2 channels, as well as its dedicated La Liga platform. This match will be shown on Premier Sports 1 and La LigaTV.
Livestream Atlético vs. Barcelona in Canada
TSN is the rights holder for live coverage of La Liga matches in the region, with select fixtures being shown on its linear channels and a wider selection of games being shown on its TSN Plus streaming platform. This match is set to be shown on TSN 5 and TSN Plus.
Livestream Atlético vs. Barcelona in Australia
Footy fans down under can watch La Liga matches live on BeIn Sports, which holds the live broadcast rights in Australia for Spanish top-flight matches. This match is set to be shown on BeIn Sports 2.
Quick tips for streaming La Liga using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming La Liga matches 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.
