Where to Legally Watch UK Football on TV in 2026/27

 With the new football season getting underway, UK football fans once again face the familiar question: which TV service shows which games?

The days when one subscription could give you most of the football you wanted are long gone. Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, EFL and international football are spread across several broadcasters and streaming services.

Here's a straightforward guide to watching UK football legally during the 2026/27 season.

Premier League

The Premier League remains split between Sky Sports and TNT Sports.

Sky Sports has the largest share, showing at least 215 live Premier League matches per season under the current 2025–29 rights agreement. TNT Sports has 52 matches per season.

The traditional Saturday 3pm blackout still applies, meaning those matches aren't normally shown live on UK television.

For most Premier League fans, Sky Sports therefore remains the main subscription needed to follow their team regularly.

Champions League

For the 2026/27 season, the Champions League remains with TNT Sports, alongside the Europa League and Conference League. TNT's coverage is available through its television services and streaming options.

However, this is the last season of TNT's current UEFA arrangement.

From 2027/28, the rights change significantly, with the majority of Champions League coverage moving to Paramount+, while Amazon Prime Video will also show Champions League matches. Sky Sports will take over the Europa League and Conference League.

So there are some major changes coming next season.

FA Cup

The FA Cup is no longer entirely free-to-air.

For the 2026/27 season, TNT Sports and the BBC share coverage, with selected matches available free-to-air on BBC platforms while TNT Sports carries a significant portion of the competition.

This is another important change for viewers who previously expected the FA Cup to be predominantly available on the BBC and ITV.

EFL and Championship

Sky Sports remains the main home of the EFL, including Championship football.

That means supporters following clubs outside the Premier League will generally need Sky Sports to watch their team's televised league matches.

Free-to-air football

There is still plenty of football available without taking out a sports subscription.

The BBC and ITV continue to show major international football, highlights and selected cup matches.

England internationals, for example, remain available on ITV, while the BBC continues to show major football coverage and highlights.

The FIFA World Cup and other major international tournaments also continue to have free-to-air coverage under the relevant rights arrangements.

What about Amazon Prime Video?

Amazon's role in Premier League football has changed.

The previous arrangement that gave Amazon the December and midweek Premier League packages has ended under the new rights structure, with those matches now incorporated into the larger Sky/TNT packages.

However, Amazon remains an important player in football broadcasting, particularly because it has secured Champions League coverage from 2027/28.

Further reading and information available here