How to watch the FA Cup on TV, online and abroad

The 2022-23 FA Cup officially started in August, but the competition is fast approaching its conclusion.

With only eight teams remaining, each team will start dreaming that they can go all the way. Only half of the quarter-final roster is made up of Premier League sides, with three Championship sides and League Two Grimsby Town defying the odds to get this far.

The good news is that all matches are available to watch live in the US and UK this weekend. Here’s everything you need to know, including if you’re currently based outside of these two countries.

FA Cup schedule

All four FA Cup quarter-finals can be watched live in the US and UK. Here is the essential information you need:

Sat 18 March

Man City v Burnley – KO 10.45am PT / 1.45pm ET / 5.45pm GMT – ESPN+/BBC

Sun 19 March

Sheffield United v Blackburn – 5am PT / 8am ET / 12pm GMT – ESPN+/ITV
Brighton vs Grimsby – KO 7.15am PT / 10.15am ET / 2.15pm GMT – ESPN+/BBC
Manchester United v Fulham – KO 9.30am PT / 12.30pm ET / 4.30pm GMT – ESPN+/BBC

How to watch the FA Cup in the USA

In the United States, the FA Cup is exclusive to ESPN. This means you’ll have to pay for full access, although some matches are also shown on the free ESPN channel.

But unlike the UK, a subscription means you can watch every match live. It costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, but many other live sports are included in the price. ESPN+ is also the place to watch many American football, hockey, golf and basketball games, as well as many top European football leagues.

You can sign up now through ESPN’s website.

How to watch the FA Cup in the UK

The FA Cup is broadcast exclusively on free-to-air channels in the UK, with television rights split between the BBC and ITV. Each broadcaster shares the best match picks through to the semi-final, but both will broadcast the final on June 3, 2023.

Both are free to watch, provided you have a TV license. It currently costs £159 per year and is a requirement if you watch live TV or use BBC iPlayer. Once that’s sorted, just access BBC One on your TV or head to iPlayer to start streaming.

ITV matches are available on ITV1 or ITV4 through your TV, or ITVX (formerly ITV Hub) when streaming. Catch-up ITV content is exempt from the TV license, but you’ll need it if you’re watching live.

How to watch the FA Cup outside the US or UK

If you’re not based in the US or UK, it’s worth checking which broadcaster is showing the FA Cup in your country. Signing up there will be the easiest way to watch live.

But if you’re just on vacation or traveling abroad, a VPN is your best bet.

This allows you to connect to encrypted servers and appear in another country, with a new IP address that cannot be traced back to you. This also makes it a good option to protect your privacy.

We use NordVPN for the purposes of this tutorial. It tops our best VPN roundup, but there are plenty of great alternatives out there. Just make sure the one you choose can unblock the BBC iPlayer or ITVX.

To get started, simply open the NordVPN app and connect to any server in the UK. You can do this by selecting it on a map or by simply clicking on the British flag under the “Quick Connect” button. Once connected, simply start watching as you normally would.