The 2022-23 FA Cup officially started all the way back in August, but the competition is fast approaching its conclusion.
With just eight teams remaining, each side will start to dream that they can go all the way. Just half of the quarter-final lineup is comprised of Premier League teams, with three Championship sides and League 2 Grimsby Town defying the odds to make it this far.
The good news is that every matches is 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 these two countries.
FA Cup fixtures
All four FA Cup quarter-finals are available to watch live in the US and UK. Here are the key details you need:
Sat 18 Mar
Man City vs Burnley – KO 10.45am PT/1.45pm ET/5.45pm GMT – ESPN+/BBC
Sun 19 Mar
Sheffield United vs Blackburn – KO 5am PT/8am ET/12pm GMT – ESPN+/ITVBrighton vs Grimsby – KO 7.15am PT/10.15am ET/2.15pm GMT – ESPN+/BBCMan Utd vs Fulham – KO 9.30am PT/12.30pm ET/4.30pm GMT – ESPN+/BBC
How to watch the FA Cup in the US
In the US, the FA Cup is exclusive to ESPN. That means you’ll have to pay for full access, although some matches are also broadcast on the free-to-air ESPN channel.
But unlike the UK, a subscription means you can watch every single match live. It costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, but lots of other live sport is included in the price. ESPN+ is also the place to watch many American football, hockey, golf and basketball matches, plus many top European football leagues.
You can sign up now via the ESPN website.
How to watch the FA Cup in the UK
The FA Cup is exclusively broadcast on free-to-air channels in the UK, with TV rights split between the BBC and ITV. Each broadcaster shares the top picks of matches until the semi-final, but both will be showing the final on 3 June 2023.
Both are free to watch, provided you have a TV Licence. This currently costs £159 per year, and is a requirement if you watch any live TV or use BBC iPlayer. Once that’s sorted, just navigate to BBC One on your TV or head to iPlayer to start streaming.
ITV matches are available on ITV1 or ITV4 via your TV, or ITVX (previously ITV Hub) when streaming. Catching up on ITV content is exempt from the TV Licence, but you’ll need one if you watch 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 holiday or a trip abroad, a VPN is your best option.
This allows you to connect to encrypted servers and appear in another country, complete with a new IP address that can’t be traced back to you. That makes it a good option to protect your privacy, too.
We’re using NordVPN for the purposes of this tutorial. It tops our best VPN round-up, but there are plenty of great alternatives. Just make sure the one you choose can unblock the BBC iPlayer or ITVX.
To get started, just open the NordVPN app and connect to any server in the UK. You can do this by selecting it on a map, or just clicking the UK flag below the ‘Quick Connect’ button. Once connected, just start watching like you normally would.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Want more football? Here’s how to watch the Premier League, Champions League and Europa League live.
