Olympic Soccer 2024: How to Watch Football From Anywhere – CNET

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is underway. The men’s and women’s football events take place across seven venues in France and conclude with the gold medal matches in the capital’s Parc des Princes. Sunday is the second day of the women’s group stage, with the following matchups:

• New Zealand vs. Colombia (Décines-Charpieu; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
• France vs. Canada (Saint-Étienne; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)
• Australia vs. Zambia (Nice; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
• United States vs. Germany (Marseille; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)
• Brazil vs. Japan (Paris; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
• Spain vs. Nigeria (Nantes; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)

The men’s event is often seen as a tournament for emerging talent rather than big-name stars, thanks in part to many clubs preventing their key players from appearing — a situation exacerbated by the Olympics taking place almost immediately after the European Championships and the Copa America. 

Nevertheless, that gives younger stars of the future and players on the fringes a chance to shine on the international stage. France’s Michael Olise, Argentina’s Julian Alvarez and Spain’s Juan Miranda are all expected to play big roles. Former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry is set to serve as coach for the host nation. On Saturday, on the second day of the men’s group stage, Argentina, Spain, Ukraine, Egypt, Paraguay, the US, France and Japan won their matches. 

The second day of the women’s group stage is Sunday. It’s a somewhat different story for the women’s event, with the qualified teams set to feature more familiar squads. Unlike the men’s tournament, sides aren’t limited to having three players over the age of 23, meaning star players such as Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí of Spain, Brazilian forward Marta and the US’ up-and-coming striker Sophia Smith are all set to feature. 

World Cup holders Spain come into the women’s tournament as favorites, while all eyes will be on how the USWNT performs under the guidance of new English coach Emma Hayes. 

While Peacock is the best way to stream the 2024 Olympic games, you can watch much of the Olympics across NBC’s family of channels — NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel — with cable or satellite TV or a live TV streaming service. 

How to watch the Olympic football events

If you’re looking to stream soccer at the 2024 Olympics in the US, you’ll want Peacock. Even after a recent price hike, which raises the monthly charge from $6 to $8, Peacock is one of the most affordable streaming services. With it, you can watch any event live; NBC states Peacock will stream 5,000 hours of live coverage throughout the Games, including all 329 medal events and, crucially, every fixture of both the men’s and women’s football events.

In addition to livestreaming each event, Peacock will have a whip-around show, Gold Zone, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET (4 a.m. to 2 p.m. PT) each day. If you’re watching an event on Gold Zone that you’re really into, you can continue to watch it even if Gold Zone cuts away to something else. Peacock will display Live Action on-screen prompts that will let you stay with the event or follow Gold Zone’s coverage.

Peacock will also have four multiview options that will let you watch four events at once. You’ll be able to watch NBC’s nightly Primetime in Paris show on Peacock, and Peacock will have its own daily recap show “hosted” by AI Al Michaels.

Peacock offers two Premium plans, and each will see its monthly price go up by $2 on July 18 — a week before the Games begin. After the price increases, the ad-supported Premium plan will cost $8 a month, and the ad-free Premium plan will costs $14 a month. You can use either Premium plan to watch the Olympics.

Read our Peacock review.

Where are the 2024 Olympic football matches being held?

Both the men’s and women’s soccer tournaments will take place across six stadiums in France — the Stade de Marseille, the Stade de Lyon, the Stade de Bordeaux, the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne, the Stade de Nice, the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes and the iconic Parc des Princes in Paris, where both gold medal matches will take place. 

When do the 2024 Olympic football events start and end?

While the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony takes place on Friday, July 26, the men’s football event kicks off proceedings a couple of days earlier. The first four fixtures of the tournament, including Argentina vs. Morocco and Uzbekistan vs. Spain, take place on Wednesday, July 24. The eventual gold medal match takes place on Friday, Aug. 9. 

First-round fixtures of the women’s tournament get started on Thursday, July 25, with the final in Paris due to take place on Saturday, Aug. 10. 

A full list of fixtures for both events can be found at the foot of this page. 

What’s the time difference between Paris and the US?

Paris is 6 hours ahead of New York and the rest of the Eastern time zone. It’s 7 hours ahead of the Central time zone, 8 hours ahead of Mountain time and 9 hours ahead of Pacific time.

This difference means that most events will be shown live in the morning and afternoon for US viewers.

Do I need Peacock to watch the Olympic soccer in the US?

Nope, you can watch select fixtures on TV, but Peacock will give you access to every fixture in both tournaments.

In the US, you need five TV channels for the Olympics: NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel. USA Network will show US team sports, including soccer. 

NBC will broadcast its Primetime in Paris show each evening in the US. Mike Tirico hosts the show, which includes reports from Snoop Dogg. 

What’s the best live TV streaming service for the Olympics?

Sling TV is the most affordable option if you live in one of the few markets where it offers NBC. Failing that, YouTube is the best service for the Olympics because its base plan, which costs $73, offers all five channels you’ll need. 

If Sling takes a conditional gold medal and YouTube TV gets the silver among live TV streaming services for watching the Olympics, then Hulu with Live TV is awarded the bronze. It costs only $4 more per month than YouTube TV and includes all five channels for watching the Olympics.

Read more: Best Sports Streaming Service for 2024

With a live TV streaming subscription (or cable/satellite plan), you’ll be able to authenticate yourself as a pay TV subscriber to watch live streams of every event on NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, the NBC app or the NBC Olympics app. That’s a great option if you don’t want to sign up for Peacock and want to pick and choose which events to watch.

Sling TV’s $40-a-month Blue plan includes NBC, USA Network and E!. You can add CBNC for an extra $6 a month and the Golf Channel for another $11 a month. Even with those add-ons, Sling TV is the cheapest way to get all five channels for the Olympics — provided you live in one of the few markets where Sling offers NBC.

Read our Sling TV review.

YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to confirm which local networks are available in your area.

Read our YouTube TV review.

Hulu with Live TV costs $77 a month and includes NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC and Golf Channel. Click the “View channels in your area” link on its welcome page to confirm which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.

Read our Hulu with Live TV review.

All of the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. For more information, check out our live TV streaming services guide.

How to watch the Olympic football from anywhere with a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the Olympic soccer locally, you may need a different way to watch the games — 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.

Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 25% speed loss in 2024 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands

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 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you’ll get three months free and save 49%. That’s the equivalent of $6.67 a month with code SPECIALDEAL, which should be automatically applied.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Livestream the 2024 Olympic football in the UK

The BBC will broadcast the 2024 Games on its free-to-air channels, but coverage is limited to BBC One and BBC Two. You can also live stream all the action from Paris on BBC iPlayer. 

The BBC promises more than 250 hours of live coverage of the Olympics across the two channels, but not every match of the men’s and women’s football events is set to be shown. For those in the UK wanting more comprehensive coverage of both tournaments as well as the Olympics as a whole, Discovery Plus is where it’s at, which is offering 3,800 hours of live coverage across 55 dedicated online channels.

A subscription to Discovery Plus in the UK costs £7 per month or £60 for the year.

The service is available on a wide array of devices, and also includes access to all Eurosport TV channels.

Livestream the 2024 Olympic soccer in Australia

Aussies can watch Olympic football on more than Nine Network. The network will have select live coverage of the Olympics and you can watch on-demand highlights on the network’s streaming service 9Now.

Meanwhile, pay-TV service Stan Sport will show all 329 Olympic events ad-free and in 4K Ultra HD. 

Livestream the 2024 Olympic soccer in Canada

In Canada, the Games will be broadcast on TV channels CBC, TSN and Sportsnet. They will be shown on the free CBC Gem streaming service also.

Quick tips for streaming the 2024 Olympic football using a VPN 

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming the Olympic soccer live 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. 
• 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.

2024 Olympic men’s football: Full schedule

Group stage

GROUP A
Wednesday, July 24
Guinea U23 vs. New Zealand U23 (Nice; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
France U23 vs. United States U23 (Marseille; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Saturday, July 27
New Zealand U23 vs. United States U23 (Marseille; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
France U23 vs. Guinea U23 (Nice; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Tuesday, July 30
New Zealand U23 vs. France U23 (Marseille; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
United States U23 vs. Guinea U23 (Saint-Étienne; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)

GROUP B
Wednesday, July 24
Argentina U23 vs. Morocco U23 (Saint-Étienne; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)
Iraq U23 vs. Ukraine U23 (Décines-Charpieu; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)

Saturday, July 27
Argentina U23 vs. Iraq U23 (Décines-Charpieu; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)
Ukraine U23 vs. Morocco U23 (Saint-Étienne; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

Tuesday, July 30
Ukraine U23 vs. Argentina U23 (Décines-Charpieu; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
Morocco U23 vs. Iraq U23 (Nice; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

GROUP C
Wednesday, July 24
Uzbekistan U23 vs. Spain U23 (Paris; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)
Egypt U23 vs. Dominican Republic U23 (Nantes; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

Saturday, July 27
Dominican Republic U23 vs. Spain U23 (Bordeaux; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)
Uzbekistan U23 vs. Egypt U23 (Nantes; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

Tuesday, July 30
Dominican Republic U23 vs. Uzbekistan U23 (Paris; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)
Spain U23 vs. Egypt U23 (Bordeaux; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)

GROUP D
Wednesday, July 24
Japan U23 vs. Paraguay U23 (Bordeaux; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
Mali U23 vs. Israel U23 (Paris; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Saturday, July 27
Israel U23 vs. Paraguay U23 (Paris; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
Japan U23 vs. Mali U23 (Bordeaux; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Tuesday, July 30
Israel U23 vs. Japan U23 (Nantes; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)
Paraguay U23 vs. Mali U23 (Paris; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Quarterfinals

Friday, Aug. 2

Match 26: Winners of Group B vs. Runners-up of Group A (Paris; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)
Match 28: Winners of Group D vs. Runners-up of Group C (Décines-Charpieu; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
Match 27: Winners of Group C vs. Runners-up of Group D (Marseille; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
Match 25: Winners of Group A vs. Runners-up of Group B (Bordeaux; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Semifinals

Monday, Aug. 5
Match 30: Winners of Match 26 vs. Winners of Match 28 (Marseille; 6 p.m. CET / 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 8 p.m. AEST)
Match 29: Winners of Match 25 vs. Winners of Match 27 (Décines-Charpieu; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Bronze medal match

Thursday, Aug. 8

Losers of Match 29 vs. Losers of Match 30 (Nantes; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

Final

Friday, Aug. 9

Winners of Match 29 vs. Winners of Match 30 (Paris; 6 p.m. CET / 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 8 p.m. AEST)

2024 Olympic women’s football: Full schedule

Group stage

GROUP A
Thursday, July 25

Canada vs. New Zealand (Saint-Étienne; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

France vs. Colombia (Décines-Charpieu; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Sunday, July 28
New Zealand vs. Colombia (Décines-Charpieu; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
France vs. Canada (Saint-Étienne; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Wednesday, July 31
New Zealand vs. France (Décines-Charpieu; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)
Colombia vs. Canada (Nice; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

GROUP B
Thursday, July 25
Germany vs. Australia (Marseille; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
United States vs. Zambia (Nice; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Sunday, July 28
Australia vs. Zambia (Nice; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
United States vs. Germany (Marseille; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Wednesday, July 31
Australia vs. United States (Marseille; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
Zambia vs. Germany (Saint-Étienne; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)

GROUP C
Thursday, July 25
Spain vs. Japan (Nantes; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
Nigeria vs. Brazil (Bordeaux; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)

Sunday, July 28
Brazil vs. Japan (Paris; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
Spain vs. Nigeria (Nantes; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)

Wednesday, July 31
Brazil vs. Spain (Bordeaux; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
Japan vs. Nigeria (Nantes; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

Quarterfinals

Saturday, Aug. 3

Match 20: Winners of Group B vs. Runners-up of Group C (Paris; 3 p.m. CET / 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT / 11 p.m. AEST)
Match 21: Winners of Group C vs. Third in Group A or B (Décines-Charpieu; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)
Match 22: Runners-up of Group A vs. Runners-up of Group B (Marseille; 7 p.m. CET / 6 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. AEST)
Match 19: Winners of Group A vs. Third in Group B or C (Nantes; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Semifinals

Tuesday, Aug. 6

Match 24: Winners of Match 20 vs. Winners of Match 22 (Décines-Charpieu; 6 p.m. CET / 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 8 p.m. AEST)
Match 23: Winners of Match 19 vs. Winners of Match 21 (Marseille; 9 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT / 5 a.m. AEST)

Bronze medal match

Friday, Aug.  9
Losers of Match 23 vs. Losers of Match 24 (Décines-Charpieu; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)

Final

Saturday, Aug. 10

Winners of Match 23 vs. Winners of Match 24 (Paris; 5 p.m. CET / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT / 1 a.m. AEST)