Sunday’s only English Premier League fixture sees West Ham and Aston Villa go head-to-head, fresh off the back of dazzling European victories in midweek.
The Hammers booked their place in the Europa League quarterfinals with a dominant 5-0 win over German side Frieburg at the London Stadium, while Aston Villa claimed a memorable 4-0 victory at home against Dutch giants Ajax.
That win for Villa may have come at some cost, with in-form striker Ollie Watkins suffering a cut on his knee that may rule him out of this game. Captain John McGann also misses out through suspension after his sending off in the defeat to Spurs last weekend.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live wherever you are in the world.
Mohammed Kudus scored a goal of the season contender in West Ham’s 5-0 demolition of Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday.
West Ham vs. Aston Villa: When and where?
West Ham host host Aston Villa at the London Stadium on Sunday, March 17. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. GMT, which is 10 a.m. ET or 7 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 1 a.m. AEDT on Monday, March 18, in Australia.
How to watch the West Ham vs. Aston Villa 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. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. 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 a month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 35% — the equivalent of $8.32 a month — if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream West Ham vs. Aston Villa in the US
Saturday’s West Ham-Aston Villa match is streaming on USA Network, which you can access as part of your cable package or at the NBC Sports website with a valid login, and can be streamed via Sling TV and other more expensive streaming TV services.
Sling TV’s Blue plan includes USA Network, making it a great option for those wanting to watch Premier League action. It’s $40 per month and includes over 40 channels, including other sports channels like ESPN and FS1.
Can I livestream the West Ham vs. Aston Villa game in the UK?
No broadcaster has the rights to show this game live in the UK.
That means that if you’re in the UK traveling for pleasure or for work, you’re unlikely to be able to watch the game like you normally would at home, thanks to geo-blocking.
There is one option to get around this, however. By using a VPN, as explained above, you can set your location to a country where the match is being broadcast and go from there.
Livestream the West Ham vs. Aston Villa game in Canada
If you want to stream West Ham vs. Aston Villa live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has exclusive rights for this Premier League season.
Fubo is the go-to destination for Canadians looking to watch the EPL this season with exclusive streaming rights to every game. It costs CA$25 per month, though you can save some cash by paying quarterly or annually.
Livestream the West Ham vs. Aston Villa game in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch this EPL fixture on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every single Premier League game live in Australia this season.
With exclusive rights to screen every EPL match live this season, as well as German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga games, streaming service Optus Sport is a particularly big draw for Aussie soccer fans.
If you’re already an Optus network customer you can bag Optus Sport for a reduced price, with discounts bringing the price down to as low as AU$7 per month. If you’re not, a standalone monthly subscription to the service starts at AU$25.
Quick tips for streaming the Premier League using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming EPL 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.
