Why You Can Trust CNET Watch FA Cup Semifinal Soccer: Livestream Man City vs. Chelsea From Anywhere
Can Pep Guardiola's side bounce back from their Champions League disappointment?
Having seen their reign as UEFA Champions League holders ended in midweek, Man City will be keen not to lose their grip on another piece of silverware as they take on Chelsea on Sunday in this FA Cup semifinal.
City fans saw their dreams of a historic "double treble" smashed on Wednesday as they lost their quarterfinal tie with Real Madrid at home in heartbreaking style on penalties. Boss Pep Guadiola is left with the task of rousing his deflated players for this last-four clash.
They face a tricky challenge in pulling off back-to-back FA Cup wins, with an in-form Chelsea side standing in their way of the final, led by former City youth player Cole Palmer, who will be determined to prove a point against his old paymasters.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live, wherever you are in the world.
Cole Palmer's fee of $52.8 million to take him to Chelsea from Man City now looks like something of a bargain, with the young striker in superb recent form.
Manchester City vs. Chelsea: When and where?
Manchester City take on Chelsea in this FA Cup semifinal at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday, April 20. Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m. BST local time in the UK (12:15 p.m. ET, 9:15 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 2:15 a.m. AEST on Sunday, April 21 in Australia).
How to watch the Man City vs. Chelsea game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 35% -- the equivalent of $8.32 per month -- if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream the Man City vs. Chelsea game in the US
This semifinal clash is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. Kickoff is at 12:15 p.m. ET on Saturday for viewers in the States.
ESPN's standalone streaming service costs $11 a month or $110 for an annual subscription. With it, you'll be able to watch all of this season's FA Cup fixtures. Read our ESPN Plus review.
Can I livestream the Man City vs. Chelsea game in the UK?
The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to-air broadcasters the BBC and ITV are sharing live duties for this season's FA Cup.
This fixture is being shown exclusively on BBC1, with coverage starting at 4:45 p.m. BST ahead of the 5:15 p.m. kickoff.
With the match being broadcast on BBC1, that also means you'll be able to watch the game online for free via the network's on-demand streaming service, BBC iPlayer.
With an app that's available for Android and Apple mobile devices as well as a vast array of smart TVs and streaming boxes, all you need is a valid UK TV license to stream the game.
Livestream Man City vs. Chelsea in Canada
Canadian soccer fans looking to watch this FA Cup fixture can watch all the action live via Sportsnet.
Sportsnet is available via most cable operators, but cord-cutters can subscribe to the network's standalone streaming service Sportsnet Plus instead, with prices starting at CA$15 per month or CA$180 per year.
Livestream the Man City vs. Chelsea game in Australia
ViacomCBS holds the broadcast rights for the FA Cup in Australia, which means you can watch matches from the tournament live Down Under via streaming service Paramount Plus. You'll just have to set an alarm for the early hours of Sunday morning: kickoff is at 2:15 a.m. AEST.
An Australian Paramount Plus subscription currently costs AU$10 a month, which gives you access to Paramount's coverage of this year's tournament, as well as Hollywood movies and original shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Knuckles.
Quick tips for streaming the FA Cup using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming FA Cup matches may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.