Emirates Cup preseason tournament comes to a close Saturday as Arsenal take on La Liga outfit Athletic Club in the Gunners’ final friendly match ahead of the new Premier League season.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to watch this friendly match as it happens, wherever you are in the world. We’ll also explain how to use a VPN if the match isn’t available where you are.
The north Londoners have had an indifferent preseason so far, with two wins and two defeats, and will be keen to end their preparations for the new campaign on a high ahead of their tricky EPL opener against Man United next weekend.
Marcelino’s Villarreal finished fifth in La Liga last season and come into this match off the back of a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Premier League side Leeds last weekend.
Arsenal takes on Athletic Club on Saturday, Aug. 9, at the Emirates Stadium in north London. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. BST local time in the UK. That makes it a 1 p.m. ET or 10 a.m. PT start in the US and a 3 a.m. AEST kickoff in Australia on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta saw his side slump to a 2-3 friendly match defeat to Spanish side Villareal on Wednesday.
Livestream Arsenal vs. Athletic Club in the UK, US, Australia and Canada
While this game is not set to be televised on mainstream TV channels, Arsenal’s in-house streaming service will be showing the game live to subscribers.
The Gunners’ own video on-demand service will showing this friendly match live, alongside upcoming preseason games against Athletic Bilbao and Villareal.
This match is available for £5 via an Early Bird PPV package if you purchase before 9 a.m. on Thursday. If you miss that offer, a preseason pass for all of Arsenal’s remaining preseason fixtures is then available for £15 on the website.
How to watch Arsenal vs. Athletic Club online from anywhere using a VPN
If you’re traveling abroad and want to keep up with all the soccer action while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming.
It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds. It can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security.
However, some streaming services may have policies restricting VPN use to access region-specific content. If you’re considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform’s terms of service to ensure compliance.
If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider’s installation instructions, ensuring you’re connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verifying if your streaming subscription allows VPN use is crucial.
Price $13 per month, $100 for the first 15 months (then $117 per year) or $140 for the first 28 months (then $150 per year)Latest Tests No DNS leaks detected, 18% speed loss in 2025 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 that 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.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Quick tips for streaming the preseason friendly soccer using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming this match 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 in to 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, because 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.
