FA Cup TV guide: Broadcasters, live streams, free BBC coverage, and how to watch every fixture in the 2025/2026 competition
Here's how to catch your hit of FA Cup magic
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The world’s oldest club competition is up and running and you can watch the FA Cup all over the planet, with FourFourTwo providing a comprehensive broadcast guide to TV coverage and live streams wherever you are in the world.
• UK: BBC, TNT Sports / Discovery+
• US: ESPN+
• Australia: Stan Sport
• Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk free
The FA Cup heads into the round of 32 this weekend with 16 ties played across the country.
This is always an occasion to be savoured as some of the sides from the lower divisions and even non-League football are pitted against some of the best teams and players in the world.
Unlike most other football competitions, the FA Cup gets some airing on free-to-air television in the UK, although ITV no longer has any rights and the BBC's coverage has diminished as TNT Sports steps in this season as the main broadcaster.
There are plenty of international options, with ESPN in the US and Stan Sport in Australia showing all games from every round of the FA Cup.
Where to watch the FA Cup in the UK
UK broadcast rights for the 2025/2026 FA Cup are split between TNT Sports / Discovery+ and the BBC.
There has been a change for this season, with a vast reduction in the level of free-to-air coverage of the FA Cup in the UK. ITV has left the stage entirely, while the BBC has been limited to 14 games throughout the competition.
That's because the FA Cup has agreed a new commercial deal with the pay-TV broadcaster TNT Sports and its streaming platform, Discovery+.
Watch the FA Cup on Discovery+
With the exception of fixtures taking place during the Saturday 3pm blackout, every single FA Cup fixture will be streaming on Discovery+ and a select few will make it to the TNT Sports main TV channels. Discovery+ costs £30.99/month.
The BBC is showing two matches from each round on a non-exclusive basis. These will air on BBC One on TV and on the BBC iPlayer free streaming service.
BBC Fourth Round Fixtures
Hull vs Chelsea (Friday, February 13 at 7:45pm)
Wrexham vs Ipswich (Friday, February 13 at 7:45pm)
Aston Villa vs Newcastle (Saturday, February 14 at 5:45pm)
How to watch the FA Cup in the US
Sports broadcasting giant ESPN is the exclusive US rights-holder for the 2025/2026 FA Cup. Every game from now on is available to stream live through the ESPN+ streaming platform.
Watch the FA Cup on ESPN Select
To tune into the FA Cup all you need is an ESPN Select subscription, which costs £12.99/month. ESPN Unlimited will give you added access to the main ESPN networks for $29.99/month.
❗Coverage is geo-restricted. If you're not in the States right now, you can still access your ESPN+ subscription by using a VPN such as NordVPN.
How to watch the FA Cup in Australia
The FA Cup has a new home Down Under: Stan Sport, which took over Optus Sport from the start of the 2025/2026 season.
Watch the FA Cup on Stan Sport
Want every single FA Cup live stream in one place, plus the Premier League and Champions League? At AU$32 per month, Stan Sport is a steal for football fans down under. Just add the Stan Sport package to the base Stan plan and you'll be streaming the action within minutes.
❗Coverage is geo-restricted. If you're not in Australia right now, you can still access your Stan Sport subscription by using a VPN such as NordVPN.
Watch the FA Cup from anywhere
If you’re overseas when the FA Cup is on, that doesn't mean you have to miss out on the action. Geo-restrictions will apply to major broadcasters but there's a simple way around this: a VPN.
A Virtual Private Network - to give it the full name - is a piece of software that sets your IP address to make it look like your device is still back at home. Assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, you can use a VPN to unblock your streaming services when abroad, and you'll get a host of internet security benefits on top.
There are plenty of good-value options out there, but FourFourTwo’s brainy office mates TechRadar are big fans of NordVPN.
TechRadar love NordVPN’s super speedy connections, trustworthy security and the fact it works with all your devices. You also get a money-back guarantee, 24/7 support and it's currently available for a knockdown price. Back of the net!
FA Cup fourth round fixtures and TV channels
The third round of the FA Cup takes place this weekend with fixtures from Friday February 13 through to Monday February 16. 32 teams are in the competition, and that figure will be cut in half by the end of the weekend ahead of the 5th round draw on Monday.
Macclesfield remain the lowest-ranked team in the competition, but after their shock victory over Crystal Palace in the last round, they now face Brentford on Monday night.
Hull vs Chelsea could produce another potential "cupset," with the Blues likely to rotate their squad following a busy start to 2026. Salford will be aiming to avoid a heavy defeat at the Etihad against Man City, while Newcastle look to secure back-to-back away wins against Aston Villa.
Other fixtures to watch include Burton vs West Ham, Liverpool vs Brighton, and Arsenal vs Wigan.
Friday, February 13
Match | Kick-off time | UK | US | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hull vs Chelsea | 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET | Discovery+/BBC iPlayer | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Wrexham vs Ipswich | 19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET | Discovery+/BBC iPlayer | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Saturday, February 14
Match | Kick-off time | UK | US | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Burton vs West Ham | 12:15 GMT / 07:15 ET | Discovery+ | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Burnley vs Mansfield | 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET | N/A | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Man City vs Salford | 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET | N/A | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Norwich vs West Brom | 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET | N/A | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Port Vale vs Bristol City | 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET | N/A | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Southampton vs Leicester | 15:00 GMT / 10:00 ET | N/A | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Aston Villa vs Newcastle | 17:45 GMT / 12:45 ET | BBC One & BBC iPlayer (FREE) / TNT Sports 1 & Discovery+ | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Liverpool vs Brighton | 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET | TNT Sports 1 & Discovery+ | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Sunday, February 15
Match | Kick-off time | UK | US | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Birmingham vs Leeds United | 12:00 GMT / 07:00 ET | TNT Sports 3 & Discovery+ | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Grimsby vs Wolves | 13:30 GMT / 08:30 ET | TNT Sports 1 & Discovery+ | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Oxford vs Sunderland | 14:00 GMT / 09:00 ET | TNT Sports 5 & Discovery+ | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Stoke vs Fulham | 14:00 GMT / 09:00 ET | Discovery+ | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Arsenal vs Wigan | 16:30 GMT / 11:30 ET | TNT Sports 1 & Discovery+ | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
Monday, February 16
Match | Kick-off time | UK | US | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Macclesfield vs Brentford | 19:30 GMT / 14:30 ET | TNT Sports 1 & Discovery+ | ESPN Select | Stan Sport |
We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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Patrick manages the How To Watch content across FourFourTwo and the other sports publications at Future. He's an NCTJ qualified journalist with a decade of experience in digital sports media. A lifelong Evertonian, he now plies his own footballing trade on the bobbly pitches of the famous Bristol Downs League.
- Jacob JonesEditor
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