Sports broadcasters are more restrictive than ever about where they stream their matches, and you might find your favorite team’s games affected by region-based restrictions. Yes, we're talking about sports blackouts, forcing you to either pay for a live TV channel or go watch the game live. There’s a simple fix, though: you can use a sports VPN to spoof your location.
A high-quality sports VPN unblocks geo-blocks and blacked-out games by replacing your real IP address with one from its servers in another country. On top of that, VPNs also offer improved privacy and security. More importantly, they let you subscribe to sports streaming services at lower regional prices by changing your IP, thus saving you money.
We’re here to assist you in finding the best VPN for streaming sports to help you follow your favorite teams without any slowdowns. We'll also show you how to use a VPN to watch local sports, how to pick the best VPN available, help you learn about why you need a VPN for streaming sports, and we'll answer some FAQs as well.
To use a VPN to watch sports online, you need to pick, download, and install your chosen VPN. Once you connect to its server, you can start streaming your local sports events - like so:
To bypass sports blackouts, connect to a VPN server outside of your home US state, in a location where the game you want to watch is available for broadcast. And if you wish to unblock a geo-blocked streaming service, pick a server in its home country.
Your search for the best VPN for watching sports should be based on specific criteria. Your goal should be to find a VPN that unblocks the most popular sports streaming services, including (but not limited to) DirecTV Stream, FuboTV, ESPN+, YouTube TV, DAZN, and Sling TV. To make that possible, your chosen VPN needs a large server network across the US as well as worldwide.
Next, you'll want fast speeds and streaming-friendly performance. Let's not forget that you'll want obfuscated servers (to hide your VPN data) and a kill switch (to prevent accidental data leaks). There should also be a no-logs policy, robust VPN protocols, and tough encryption. Also, think about how many devices you want to cover and ensure you get enough simultaneous connections.
Speaking of devices, you'll want a VPN with native software across the board. You'll also want reliable customer support, available 24/7. And, to make your purchase as risk-free as possible, go for a VPN with a generous money-back policy, affordable pricing, and plenty of value overall.
Taking those criteria into account, here are the 5 best VPNs for watching sports in 2024:
NordVPN is the best VPN to bypass sports blackouts in 2024, as well as the best VPN for sports streaming overall. That's because NordVPN works with any streaming service we tested it with, such as YouTube TV, FuboTV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, ESPN Plus, DAZN, and countless others.
Also, it has 6,000+ servers in 60+ countries in total, and it covers the US with around 2,000 servers in 15 cities. Aside from that, NordVPN has fast and stable connection speeds that work great for streaming in high quality. In fact, this is among the fastest VPNs right now.
As for protocols, NordVPN supports NordLynx (WireGuard) and OpenVPN, paired with high-end encryption ciphers. You also count on NordVPN's obfuscated servers (not all servers come with obfuscation, but all US-based servers do), a capable kill switch, and there's also an audited no-logs policy.
You can install NordVPN on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, and even on routers. Furthermore, a SmartDNS feature that even unblocks streaming sites on devices that don’t support VPNs. In total, you get 6 simultaneous connections with this VPN.
If you want to try NordVPN, you can use its generous 30-day money-back guarantee. In addition, you can connect to 24/7 live chat support to get help with any questions. In the end, we'll mention that NordVPN comes priced at $3.39/month for its 2-year subscription.
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Surfshark is an ultra-powerful VPN to stream Sky Sports, MLB.tv, YouTube TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, and ESPN Plus, among plenty more platforms. In fact, you'll get to unblock dozens of streaming platforms from the US and other countries. That's because Surfshark is known for its sizable server network.
More precisely, this VPN offers 3,200+ servers in 100+ countries worldwide. Around 600 of those are in the US, across 25 cities. We'll also mention that Surfshark certainly holds its own when it comes to streaming sports. It's a fast-performing VPN that offers equally fast speeds across all its nearby and remote servers.
Surfshark comes with support for OpenVPN and WireGuard, paired with powerful encryption ciphers such as AES-256 and ChaCha20. Obfuscation is on board as well, which you can enable when needed, and you'll also find a kill switch that prevents accidental leaks. Without any surprise, Surfshark is also a no-logs provider.
It also offers a Smart DNS feature that lets you use it on almost any type of device. Additionally, it provides native apps on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and others. You also get unlimited simultaneous connections.
Surfshark has an industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee and offers responsive 24/7 live chat support. Everything said above is available for $1.99 per month if you pick Surfshark's 2-year subscription plan.
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ExpressVPN is another powerful option because of its vast fleet of 3,000+ servers spread across 100+ countries, including hundreds of servers across 20+ US locations. This network gives you plenty of options for sports streaming, with access to ESPN Plus, YouTube TV, DAZN, Hulu + Live TV, MLB.TV, Sling TV, Paramount Plus, and more.
To ensure optimal, buffer-free streaming, ExpressVPN uses Lightway, built for speed. It encodes your data with military-grade 256-bit encryption, ensuring there won’t be any breaches of your privacy. ExpressVPN also offers a solid no-logs policy, further enforced by RAM-only servers.
We'll also mention that ExpressVPN brings obfuscated servers - its entire network comes with obfuscation enabled by default. And, thanks to its kill switch ('Network Lock'), you can rest assured that no data leaks will happen.
With support for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and even Linux, you can use ExpressVPN on many different types of devices. Additionally, it offers 8 simultaneous connections, which seems generous enough.
Let’s not forget to mention that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can find out if it's a good fit for you at no risk. On top of that, they offer 24/7 live chat support that’s ready to help with any of your questions. Lastly, this VPN is priced at $6.67 per month for its annual subscription plan.
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If you’re looking for an affordable option, then CyberGhost is a great pick. It excels in two areas specifically: it has a vast network of 11,500+ servers in 100+ countries (2,000+ US servers in 10+ locations), and it offers 7 simultaneous device connections.
In addition, CyberGhost has specialized servers that are constantly tested to make sure they can unblock certain streaming sites. These servers let you connect to top sports streaming services and platforms, including ESPN+, YouTube TV, DirecTV, FuboTV, and others.
Its connection speeds do well for buffer-free sports streaming. However, CyberGhost does lag behind its competition in terms of how fast it is. Also, it doesn’t offer any unique tunneling protocols (like NordLynx or Lightway). Instead, it uses WireGuard and OpenVPN. It also lacks obfuscation but still works great for bypassing blackouts and geo-blocks.
Furthermore, CyberGhost is based in Romania, a country with favorable VPN laws, unlike the standard EU data retention rules. Besides its strong privacy policy, it also has a kill switch that stops accidental data leaks.
Lastly, you can try CyberGhost out with complete peace of mind due to their 45-day money-back guarantee. If you get stuck or have questions, you can also connect to their 24/7 live chat and get help instantly. Plus, all that is available for $2.19 per month (2-year subscription).
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Private Internet Access (PIA) is a solid pick if you’re a more advanced user. You can stream live sports with no problem through its high-speed 10-Gbps servers that cover 90+ countries. It can unblock almost every sports service out there, especially if it’s in the US (as it has servers in all 50 US states). This includes YouTube TV, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, and more.
Furthermore, PIA offers unlimited simultaneous device connections. You can install its apps on many different systems, including Linux, Windows, iOS, and more - meaning that you can watch sports at home on your desktop or through your phone on the go.
It utilizes two popular protocols, WireGuard and OpenVPN, that use military-grade encryption. You'll also get to use two types of kill switches, and obfuscation is there as well. PIA also features an audited no-logs policy and open-source apps, meaning that it respects your privacy and has nothing to hide.
We'll also add that PIA can be quite fast, but only if you optimize it. This VPN comes with in-depth fine-tuning, making it suitable for more advanced users. Out of the box, this isn't the fastest option around, so we recommend having a fast baseline connection.
Lastly, PIA offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and responsive 24/7 live chat support. It comes priced at $2.19 per month for its 2-year subscription plan, which means that it offers plenty of value overall.
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You need a VPN for watching sports to be able to bypass blackouts, unblock new streaming services, and protect your privacy while doing so. Here's more information:
To choose the best VPN for watching sports, make sure it has servers in many locations, the ability to bypass sports blackouts, as well as apps for all your devices. Here’s more info:
Some of the best sports streaming services are fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and ESPN+. These platforms let you watch sports matches and PPV events without cable — you just need an Internet connection. We’ve listed them with their availability in the table below.
The table above shows that most of the best sports streaming services are not available in all countries. To access them, you’ll need a sports VPN that lets you bypass geo-restrictions. To learn more, we recommend checking out our article on the best sports streaming services.
No, you can't use a free VPN for streaming live sports. That's because free VPNs can't unblock sports streaming services, and they can't bypass blackout restrictions. Also, there are plenty more reasons to stay away from free VPNs, so let's explain.
First of all, free VPNs don’t offer unlimited data. Most of them put you on a monthly or daily data allowance. Another issue is that free VPNs are not privacy-focused, and most of them sell their users’ data and show ads to monetize their services.
Also, free VPNs tend to offer a handful of servers only. Most of the time, those servers are overcrowded, which is why free VPNs are generally quite slow. We'll remind you that since you'll be streaming, you'll need a fast VPN to avoid buffering.
In short, free VPNs are unreliable, unoptimized, and slow. However, what you do is a VPN free trial, which gives you access to premium features for a limited time.
For example, NordVPN's free trial can be activated on Android, and it lasts for 7 days. This VPN also has a 30-day money-back guarantee for all its other supported devices. Once you go through a couple of trials, you can check our guide on the best VPNs for more options.
If you're set on using a free VPN, you can try Proton VPN. It comes from a reputable brand and won't steal your data. However, you'll encounter a limited network and slow speeds.
The fact is that sports streaming services are geo-blocked, and also - most of them impose blackouts, which makes streaming local sports events quite frustrating at times. That said, there's an easy way to fix that. A VPN can give you access to any streaming service while also allowing you to bypass geo-blocks and stream sports with no restrictions.
However, you’ll need to choose one with fast connection speeds and servers in the country you want to stream from. If you want the best VPN for sports, we recommend NordVPN. It can bypass any type of geo-block or sports blackout. On top of that, NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs available today; it’s easy to use and comes ready for streaming out of the box.”
That’s all for our guide to the best sports VPN services. If you have any questions, let us know via the comments section below. Thanks for reading!