Watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace: Live streams, TV channels, watch for free in the UK as FA Cup holders visit lowest-ranked team

Watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace today as the National League North outfit plot a major upset against the FA Cup holders. FourFourTwo brings you all the details on live streams and TV channels, wherever you are in the world.

The 2024-25 FA Cup winners begin their defence with a visit to the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.

Crystal Palace are missing a number of key players due to injury and Ismaila Sarr is at the Africa Cup of Nations, and their winless Premier League run was extended to six games by Wednesday's draw with Aston Villa.

Read on as FourFourTwo brings you all the information on how to watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace online, on TV, and from anywhere.

Watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace for free

Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace will be available to stream for free in the UK. Television licence fee payers can watch the game using the BBC iPlayer.

Watch the FA Cup on BBC iPlayer

BBC Sport will be showing the biggest FA Cup ties throughout 2025-26, all the way to the final at Wembley. Their games can be streamed for free on the iPlayer. All you need is a UK television licence.

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If you're outside the UK this weekend you can use NordVPN to keep your usual access to the iPlayer.

Watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace from anywhere

What if you're away from home when Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace is on, and find access to your usual streaming service geo-blocked? The solution is a VPN, a piece of software that sets your devices to appear to be in any country in the world.

Assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, you can use a VPN to unblock the streaming services you're subscribed to, with a host of privacy and protection benefits on top – that sounds like a result.

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Watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace in the UK

Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace is one of the BBC picks for FA Cup third round weekend, meaning viewers can watch for free on TV and online. It will be broadcast live on BBC One in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as streaming live at BBC iPlayer.

It will also be shown on TNT Sports 1 and the Discovery+ streaming platform. Subscriptions cost £30.99/month.

Watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace in the US

Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace will be on ESPN in the United States and available to stream on ESPN+.

How to watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace in Australia

Lovers of cup football in Australia can watch Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace through Stan Sport.

How they got here

Macclesfield

• Second qualifying round: Macclesfield 3-0 Atherton Laburnum Rovers
• Third qualifying round: Macclesfield 2-0 Nantwich Town
• Fourth qualifying round: Macclesfield 1-0 Stamford
• First round: Macclesfield 6-3 AFC Totton
• Second round: Slough Town 1-3 Macclesfield (AET)

Crystal Palace

As a Premier League team, the FA Cup holders enter the FA Cup in the third round.

Macclesfield vs Crystal Palace: FA Cup third round preview

Macclesfield have already scored 15 goals in this year's competition, which they joined at the second qualifying round stage as a sixth-tier outfit.

The Silkmen are a phoenix club, formed in the aftermath of Macclesfield Town's demise in 2020. They play at the historic Moss Rose, where the former club had played since 1891.

Now managed by John Rooney, who started his career with Macclesfield Town and ended it as a Macclesfield player, the reformed Silkmen are participating in the FA Cup proper for the very first time.

Oliver Glasner and Palace started their successful 2024-25 FA Cup campaign against north-west opposition, defeating Stockport County in the third round.

They faced two more EFL teams before wins against Fulham and Villa in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively, and Manchester City in the final.

The biggest gap between teams in the third round is surely too much for Macclesfield but their path to this point has already made history.

FourFourTwo's prediction

Macclesfield 1-3 Crystal Palace

A win for Macclesfield would be one of the great FA Cup upsets but we think the Eagles will be one test too many.