Last Updated on January 30, 2024
How to Watch Match of the Day Stream in the USA
There is only one football TV show for me, and I’m using the word football in its European context. It is of course, the wonderful Match of the Day which for many British sports fans is an almost ubiquitous part of our childhood. Its focus is of course on the Premier League, although it does cover other competitions like the FA Cup too.
Its format has not changed that much since it first aired in 1964 although it’s now primarily a highlights show for league action. It’s widely recognized as the longest running football television programme in the world. Indeed, it’s actually one of the longest running shows on the oldest public broadcasting company which perhaps gives you some idea of its place in history. Indeed, I’d warrant that most UK football fans had their first experience of football watching the Match of the Day highlights.
The titles are now mostly very competitive with Liverpool and Man City dominating in recent years apart from an amazing performance a few years back by Leicester City. The current champions though in this pandemic hit season are Manchester City who won the title at something of a canter. The full live coverage of most of the Premier League games is split between Sky Sports and BT Sports both of whom offer subscription packages to watch the games kick off live. The BBC iPlayer though offers a great alternative entirely free of charge if you follow the guide below. What’s more if you follow one of the smaller teams like West Ham or Aston Villa then you’ll get decent coverage from the highlights programme.
Match of the Day Commentators
Here’s the current list of main presenters who bring a mixture of entertainment and expert analysis to Match of the Day –
- Gary Lineker
- Alan Shearer
- Mark Chapman
- Ian Wright
- Jermaine Jenas
- Danny Murphy
There have though been a few gaps in its broadcasting history most of them due to the BBC losing broadcasting rights in the ridiculous bidding wars that lie behind the Premiership rights. However, it’s good news for the last decade or so it’s not only returned to our screens on a Saturday night, but you can also watch Match of the Days stream online too from it’s website. There is also alternative versions such as Match of the Day 2 which is normally broadcast to cover midweek matches. It’s been hosted for the last few years by Gary Lineker who has covered some of the most exciting finishes in the Premier League.
However, this internet enabled functionality is not available in the USA or indeed anywhere outside the United Kingdom. Just like the rest of the BBC iPlayer programmes if you try and watch them online from the US for example, you’ll simply get a little message saying it’s not available in your area. This is the same if you try and watch BBC Match of the Day live or download it to watch later.
Fairly devastating for any UK football fan who happens to be outside the UK on a Saturday night, I can tell you. However, fear not, there is a way, and this short video shows you how.
How to Watch Match of the Day in the USA – A Live Stream from Outside the UK
That’s all there is to it at least on a computer or laptop, if you have access to a VPN service with servers in the UK. The one in the video is called NordVPN and is actually a security product designed to keep your internet connection secure. It is though used by thousands of people simply to watch British Television and bypass similar blocks in countries across the world.
It works by hiding your true location by streaming everything through something called a VPN server. When you connect to the BBC website for example, you will appear to be based in the UK as only the IP address of the VPN server will be visible. Your own location is completely hidden, although you may have to login to the site now as the BBC is starting to make this mandatory. This doesn’t cause any problems though as long as you have the VPN enabled. You can also use it to watch Match of the Day, which you can stream from BBC One to the USA, live from the main BBC website.
So, if you’re outside the United Kingdom then to stream Match of the Day live (or watch later) then simply use a VPN to change your IP address to a UK one. This will also let you watch all the other BBC shows too.
There are obviously lots of other VPN services which you can use as long as they have UK servers. However, you should remember that many are now blocked, plus to watch Match of the Day streaming properly you will need a fast service, or you’ll experience a lot of buffering when you watch. The best solution is to test with a trial account first, don’t subscribe for longer until you’ve actually successfully watched match of the day online and are happy with it.
Live Stream Match of the Day Highlights
Remember though, it’s not archived in the same way as other programmes on BBC iPlayer so if you miss the live showing don’t leave it too long. The rules change depending on the rights agreements with the FA, but you’ll find Match of the Day on iPlayer is never archived for more than seven days so be quick!
For sports fans and indeed for anyone who travels a lot it’s a very worthwhile investment as this practice of restricting access based on location is extremely common. Indeed, nearly every US TV station does the same and you’ll find you’ll get blocked from them when leaving the US. Using the VPN, you can bypass these too, though. All you need to do is to connect to a US server instead of a UK one to restore access when you’re outside the country.
So that’s it, the software I used for many years is called Identity Cloaker and indeed I’ve been using it now for over ten years primarily to access UK television and watch Match of the Day online. Yet it also opens up hundreds of channels in different countries too including the US, Canadian and French channels too. It works brilliantly on computers and laptops but alas is slightly lacking the support for other devices. If you want to watch BBC One Live stream on a computer or laptop, then it’s definitely the most reliable. It’s not really got any support for other devices though which is why I currently use another option.
Where to Watch Match of the Day Stream in 2024
Of course, times change and technology too – media companies like the BBC are constantly trying to block these solutions. It’s important to find a VPN service that adapts to these changes and ensure that they actually can access these sites. It’s partly why I switched to another VPN service which I’m using in 2024 to watch Match of the Day live or on demand.
This alternative which is very popular and does have support for all sorts of devices as well as the PC and laptop is called NordVPN which works in exactly the same way to watch the TV you want online and surf the web in complete privacy. If you choose this then it’s important to be aware of which servers are optimized for watching UK television, many of the standard UK servers are not.
So, if you want to use NordVPN to watch MoTD online then make sure you select one of these servers or you may have problems. Currently these are servers are optimized for accessing the BBC – UK: #764, #977, #1025, #1388, #1512, #1515 K #836, #1043, #1057, #1320, #1483, #1513 #1448 #1325 #1347. Don’t use Auto Connect, just type one of these numbers into the NordVPN search box and then click on it to connect. You can add the best ones to your favourites to use in the future.
I’ve No Money – Can I Watch Match of the Day Online Free of Charge Outside the UK?
There’s no doubt that the easiest and most reliable method for watching a MotD stream online is by using a fast VPN. It will work on most platforms, there’s no buffering or speed impact and you can use it to watch free stuff in countries all over the world too. Unfortunately there is a cost, and although it isn’t a lot – for some people of course it might be impossible to manage. So here’s a way to watch all the BBC’s content including Match of the Day completely free of charge for a short period.
It uses a system called Smart DNS which is kind of a cut-down selective VPN designed only to bypass geo-blocks. It provides no encryption or security, and it also doesn’t work well on mobile devices like Smart phones. However it’s great for watching Match of the Day on computers, laptops and other static devices – and you can try it out completely free of charge for 14 days using the trial link below.
