From the A-League and La Liga to the EPL and Women’s Champions League, the biggest tournaments in the world are all available to watch and stream on your TV or mobile device. Find out when and where to watch for live football right here.

Football Season 2021 Preview

For well over a decade soccer has become more and more popular in Australia, thanks on large part to the success of the men’s and women’s national teams who regularly qualify for, and win, major international tournaments.

The ‘beautiful game’ is now played on every continent on the planet, but there are still only a handful of domestic leagues and cup competitions that create big interest. Here we look at some of those standout tournaments, and how soccer fans can see them each and every week in Australia. 

A-League

The biggest soccer competition in Australia, the A-League, will have more teams than ever in 2021, with the addition of Macarthur FC. That means a total of 12 teams taking part in a season that will culminate in the Grand Final on June 30th at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Can the most successful team in the Australian game, Sydney FC, make it three titles in a row at the end of the campaign? It’s going to be fascinating finding out!

Spanish La Liga

It’s difficult to ignore a league that has two of the world’s most well-known teams playing week in, week out. The Spanish La Liga is home to the giants that are Real Madrid and Barcelona. The head-to-head between these two is known as ‘El Classico’, a game watched by millions around the world. Having two of the biggest teams in the world means superstar players too, like Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luka Modric to name a few.

The FA Cup

England’s biggest domestic knock-out tournament is The FA Cup, which pits some of the smallest teams in the country against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. It’s one of the oldest soccer competitions in the world and  involves every team in the Premier League and English Football League. Major rounds take place between January 9th and May 16th, with the final played at Wembley, London in front of 90,000 loyal fans! 

English Premier League

Arguably the most well-known football league on the planet is the EPL. Known for its break-neck speed football, with teams packed full of stars from around the world, it is pure entertainment. It features the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City and Tottenham on a weekly basis, with stars such as Harry Kane, Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne making magic happen on English turf. 

Italian Serie A

The Italians are mad about their football, and quite rightly so. Who wouldn’t want to watch the likes of Christiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic doing the business every weekend? Serie A features some of the most well-known teams in the business such as Juventus, AC Milan and Inter, making it a must-watch for real connoisseurs of the game.  

UEFA Women’s Champions League

Women’s soccer is big business these days, and the pinnacle for domestic teams in Europe is the Women’s Champions League. The competition features two of Australia’s biggest stars Ellie Carpenter (Lyon) and Sam Kerr (Chelsea). French Champions Lyon are the dominant force in the competition, lifting the trophy in the past 5 finals. But there are many sides knocking on the door this term, all hoping to make the final on May 16th in Gothenburg, Sweden.

German Bundesliga 

The winners of the men’s UEFA Champions League 2020 was Bayern Munich, a team synonymous with the German Bundesliga. Along with the likes of Dortmund and RB Leipzig, they are famous for producing some of the most skilful and talented footballers in Europe. Players that go on to play for big clubs, like Timo Werner (Chelsea), Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) and Toni Kroos (Real Madrid). The 2020/21 season runs from September 2020 to May 2021.

How to Watch Football in Australia

There are several ways to watch Football in Australia this year, whether you prefer watching at home on your TV or live streaming on a mobile device.

Watch Football on Free To Air

The biggest soccer tournament in the world, the FIFA World Cup, is broadcasted live on SBS every four years. But if you prefer a little less time between games, you can watch one A-League and W-League game per week on ABC. The final of the Women’s Champions League is also available on free to air with SBS.

Watch Football on Optus 

Since 2016, Optus Sport has held exclusive rights to the English Premier League in Australia. In 2017 they added the UEFA Champions League, giving the platform two of the most-watched football competitions on the planet. Optus Sport is only available to Optus customers, however, making it difficult to watch EPL or Champions League football as and when you want. Optus will also have the rights to broadcast the upcoming UEFA Euros this winter, featuring international teams like England, France, Spain and Portugal.   

Watch Football on Sports Flick

Sports Flick is one of Australia’s newest streaming platforms, giving airtime to a lot of great events that often go under the radar like European cricket, Rugby League and MMA. Sports Flick also broadcasts games from the UEFA Women’s Champions League rounds, including teams from across Europe like Lyon and Chelsea.

Watch Football with Foxtel and Foxtel Now

Foxtel is the official home of football in Australia, thanks to a wealth of channels that include Fox Sports, BeIN and ESPN. To watch on Foxtel with a Standard or HD TV, you have several choices, including subscribing to the Foxtel Plus pack to access over 50 channels of entertainment, drama, lifestyle, docos, sports and more. Foxtel Now offers all the same benefits that come with Foxtel, but without the need for installation and satellite equipment. The service lets you tune in to everything that’s available on the regular Foxtel platform, but instead of watching via cable or a satellite dish, you can stream all content instantly online.

Here is the complete round-up of football available on Foxtel:

Stream Foxtel Now Free for 10 Days

Stream Football on Kayo Sports

If you like the idea of accessing all of Foxtel’s sports channels, including BeIN Sports and ESPN, without the need for a long term contract, then Kayo Sports is made for you. The sports streaming service will also give you access to all of the football listed above as and when you please.

Kayo currently offers a free 14 day trial so that you can sample a whole two weeks of football on a wide range of devices including PCs, Smart TVs, Games Consoles, Tablets and Mobile Phones. Basic $25/month (watch on two devices) or Standard $35/month packages are optional thereafter, which you are free to cancel at any time. There’s also a number of great features on Kayo, such as No Spoilers, which hides results of a game you plan to watch later on demand. Split View will also be handy for cricket fans this summer who want to watch multiple games (or sports) at the same time.

Upcoming Football Fixtures (Sydney Time)

Event	Teams	Date / Time	Provider
A-League	Macarthur FC v Melbourne City	Wed, Jan 13	Foxtel / Kayo
Premier League	Aston Villa v Tottenham	Thu, Jan 14	Optus
Italian Serie A	Lazio v Roma	Sat, 16 Jan	Foxtel / Kayo
Premier League	Fulham v Chelsea	Sat, 16 Jan	Optus
Premier League	Fulham v Chelsea (Replay)	Sat, 16 Jan	Foxtel / Kayo
A-League	Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers	Sat, 16 Jan	Foxtel / Kayo
EFL Championship	Middlesbrough v Birmingham	Sat, 16th Jan	Foxtel / Kayo
German Bundesliga	Dortmund v Mainz	Sun, 17 Jan	Foxtel / Kayo
A-League	Newcastle Jets v Macarthur FC	Sun, 17 Jan	Foxtel / Kayo
Italian Serie A	Inter v Juventus	Mon, 18 Jan	Foxtel / Kayo
Premier League	Liverpool v Manchester United	Mon, 18 Jan	Optus
Premier League	Liverpool v Manchester United (Replay)	Tue, 19 Jan	Foxtel / Kayo