As the first major European league to resume its 2019/20 season following the Covid-19 pandemic, Germany’s Bundesliga offers some much-needed light at the end of the tunnel for football fans all over the world. Yes, all eyes are now on the title race in Deutschland – and we know you’re as excited as we are to see quality live sport aired at the weekends, just like it used to be in the halcyon days of…February. So, let’s kick-off the run-in already and explain how to live stream the Bundesliga and watch every match online from anywhere.
Bundesliga restart – key details
The German Bundesliga restarted Saturday, May 16 with matches being played behind closed doors – without fans. Fox Sports has the rights to the Bundesliga in the US, meaning anyone without cable can watch by taking advantage of a FREE 1-week Hulu + Live TV offer.
As a quick introduction, the Bundesliga is Germany’s top-tier domestic football league and things are delicately poised as the fixture list resumes this May. When the coronavirus forced the league to stop play at the beginning of March, Bayern Munich sat atop the Bundesliga table and still do – but they’re being hotly chased by Borussia Dortmund.
RB Leipzig, Gladbach and Leverkusen all also lurk dangerously, so it’s safe to say that this year’s Bundesliga title run-in could well go down to the wire. With plenty of drama and goals left, it’s a treat not just for fans of German football, but for lovers of the beautiful game everywhere.
With that in mind, here’s how to watch a Bundesliga live stream no matter where you are in the world, including free viewing options. Follow our guide below and you’ll never miss a goal again – or pay a Deutsche Mark you don’t have to.
If you’re abroad and can’t bear to miss out on the big Bundesliga restart, don’t worry. While you may initially encounter a problem watching your usual domestic coverage in the form of geo-blocking, there’s an easy solution to this common annoyance.
It’s called a VPN and it’s a clever bit of software that relocates your device back to your country of origin – thereby allowing you to regain access to the services you normally use (and almost certainly pay for) back home.
After extensive testing, our personal favourite is ExpressVPN, which lets you change your IP address on pretty much whatever device you have, be it laptop, mobile, Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, games console, etc, so that it thinks it is in a different location.
We consider ExpressVPN to be the best because it’s so easy and straightforward. It also has very fast connections and watertight security. You can try it with a 30-day money back guarantee, or go for a much better value annual plan where there’s a massive 49% off and an extra 3 months free.
Once you have it downloaded and installed, just go ahead and open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’, and you’ll virtually transport yourself back home – it really is that easy. Then you’re ready to watch your Bundesliga live stream of choice wherever you are in the world.
How to watch a Bundesliga live stream in the UK
Anyone wanting to watch top-flight German football in Great Britain or Ireland is well-served by BT Sport, which has exclusive rights to Bundesliga matches in the UK.
In terms of getting BT Sport, it’s available as part of the provider’s wide range of TV and broadband packages – as well as being offered as an add-on with Sky.
But more temptingly, there’s now also the option of a BT Sport Monthly Pass, priced at just £25 a month on a contract-free basis – or Irish viewers can take advantage of an even cheaper €17 a month offer via Now TV.
In the past, BT Sport has tended to air three fixtures a week: on Friday nights as well as Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
However, with most of this weekend’s German football fixtures set to kick-off at 2.30pm BST on Saturday, May 16 – which falls during the traditional coverage ‘blackout’ time in the UK – it’s not clear which Bundesliga restart matches BT will show.
We’d expect to see a solid selection on offer, though, and will keep you updated as soon as hear more. If you’re out of the UK or Ireland but have subscribed to a streaming service you want to access from abroad, remember you can always use a VPN to enjoy all the content you’ve already paid for back home.
How to get a FREE Bundesliga live stream and watch online in the US
Soccer fans in the United States may already know that Fox Sports is the current US TV home of the Bundesliga, showing multiple matches each weekend across its arsenal of channels – usually Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2 or Fox Deportes (for Spanish language viewers).
Assuming you have cable, this means you’ll be able to watch the Bundesliga restart on Fox either at home, online or on the network’s Fox Go app for tablets and smartphones.
Anyone who doesn’t have cable but wants easy access to Fox Sports may want to consider Hulu. The popular streaming service’s Hulu + Live TV package typically includes the two main Fox Sports channels – FS1 and FS2, but check your local availability here – and offers a FREE 1-week trial so you can see if it’s the right option for you.
If you subscribe to such a service, remember that it doesn’t have to stop streaming if you leave your country of origin – just use a VPN to enjoy all the content you’ve already paid wherever you are.
How to live stream Bundesliga soccer in Canada
In Canada, subscription TV channel Sportsnet has the rights to show German top-tier football action.
If you don’t have cable or get Sportsnet as part of your package, you can sign up to its Sportsnet Now streaming service to live stream all the Bundesliga matches Canada has to offer – and from a wide range of devices.
You’ll need the more premium SN Now+ offering, but it costs a reasonable CA$9.99 for a 7-day trial – or $27.99 a month if you want to keep it on a commitment-free basis.
If you decide you like it and sign up, but subsequently find yourself away from Canada unable to access it like you would at home, remember that you can always deploy a VPN to help you watch the services and content you already pay for back home.
How to watch the Bundesliga in Australia – live stream the restart online
If you want to watch the Bundesliga restart in Australia, then you’ll need beIN Sports, a pay TV sports channel that’s the exclusive broadcaster of German top-tier soccer Down Under.
You don’t have to pay a premium price, though, as Australian streaming service Kayo Sports offers beIN Sports as part of a AU$24.99 a month package that also includes Fox Sports and ESPN channels – a great value solution for any sports fan that doesn’t want the commitment of cable. There’s even a FREE 2-week trial on offer right now so you can watch this weekend’s Bundesliga soccer for free!
Alternatively, beIN Sports Connect is available direct through the network as a standalone streaming option. It costs $19.99 a month with a free 2-week trial but doesn’t come with any additional channels.
Remember: anyone from Australia who finds themselves out of the country for the big match need only fire up a VPN, which helps facilitate access to the streaming services and content people would normally watch (and pay for) at home.
How to get a FREE Bundesliga live stream in Germany
Sky Sports has the broadcast rights to the Bundesliga in Germany and it’s going big on the restart, announcing that Saturday mid-afternoon fixtures for the first two weekends will be available to watch for free – both online and on TV – in Deutschland and neighbouring Austria.
This means its never been easier to watch the Bundesliga for free! Matches will be available to watch for free on German TV on the Sky Sports News HD channel, but even more conveniently online via the German Sky Sports website.
The Sky Sports News HD Bundesliga live stream is like a constant highlight reel, cutting between matches at the most opportune times so you never miss a moment of the action.
The eligible fixtures for Saturday, May 23 are:
- Wolfsburg v Dortmund – 3.30pm CEST / 2.30pm BST / 9.30am ET
- Mönchengladbach v Leverkusen – 3.30pm CEST / 2.30pm BST / 9.30am ET
- Freiburg v Bremen – 3.30pm CEST / 2.30pm BST / 9.30am ET
- Paderborn v Hoffenheim – 3.30pm CEST / 2.30pm BST / 9.30am ET
Anyone from Germany currently abroad may find they can’t access the streaming services they normally would at home. This is because of geo-blocking, but as we’ve said there’s a very easy solution in the form of a VPN.
VPNs aren’t foolproof, though, and content can still get blocked even if you’re relocated your device back home. Based on our experience, this is the exception rather than the rule, but it’s worth being aware of – and one of the main reasons we recommend ExpressVPN, as it offers 24/7 customer support to help you solve any server woes you may encounter.
Alternatively, try entering your browser’s private or Incognito mode – this is often all it takes to fix remote connection issues.
