The Download
- ESPN offers free streams, but many require a cable or ESPN+ subscription.
- Facebook allows users to stream sports and watch official streams for free.
- Free streaming sites like Buffstreams and SportSurge often have ads, so use an ad blocker.
Most cable and satellite TV providers offer live sports streaming. Cord-cutting services like Fubo and Sling TV feature a variety of live sports, including college football.
Finding websites that stream live sports for free legally is challenging. We’ve gathered a list of reasonably good sites. Some have intrusive pop-ups, but if you can tolerate them, these might work for you.
ESPN
- The site: Watch ESPN
- The sports you can watch: Football, basketball, baseball, college sports, hockey, golf, tennis, MMA, NASCAR, esports, UFC Fight Nights, and more.
- Notes: Few streams on Watch ESPN are completely free. Most require a valid login from a qualifying cable or satellite subscription or a subscription to ESPN+.
ESPN is a leading name in cable sports, and the official Watch ESPN website offers numerous live-streaming videos. On the site, you’ll find major sports like football, basketball, baseball, and college sports.
What you won’t find on Watch ESPN, however, is every game of every sport. ESPN streams only the games to which it has broadcast rights. Some premium games on Watch ESPN require your TV provider login credentials, while others require an ESPN+ subscription starting at $11.99 per month.
Watch ESPN also offers a variety of content without requiring login or an additional subscription, including news, interviews, and replays.
- The site: Facebook Video
- Available sports: Soccer, cricket, baseball, women’s basketball, surfing, and a range of streams covering virtually every sport.
- Notes: Facebook Video has a limited number of official sports streams, but Facebook users use the service to stream live sports.
Facebook Video (formerly Facebook Watch) is Facebook’s attempt to muscle in on the video streaming market. The social media giant has obtained the rights to stream various sports. In addition to official Facebook Video sports streams, Facebook users can use the service to live stream sports worldwide.
Here’s how you can find a huge variety of live sports streams on Facebook Video:
- Open the Facebook Video page.
2. Select Search videos, type sports (or any specific sport or team), and press Return or Enter on the keyboard.
3. Toggle on Live. You’ll see any current sports live streams.
These streams are provided by Facebook users, so you may find low-quality and misleading streams. Search for a team name if you’re looking for a specific game.
MLB sometimes streams select games via its MLB Facebook page, so check back frequently to see what’s available. You can also catch select MLB live streams via the MLB YouTube page.
Buffstreams
- The site: Buffstreams
- The sports you can watch: Football, basketball, boxing, MMA, boxing, and F1.
- Notes: This site includes several ads.
This sports streaming site is very similar to the others on this list. Along the top of the website are links to the various games you can stream, including NBA, NFL, boxing, MMA, and F1. You’ll see exactly when the game is streaming, and you’re given a link that points straight to the video.
However, be aware of the website ads. An ad blocker is enough to stop them.
SportSurge
- The site: SportSurge
- The sports you can watch: Soccer, baseball, basketball, hockey, Formula 1, MMA, football, boxing, CFB, and WWE.
- Notes: Links don’t show up until it’s about an hour before the game starts.
This is one of the easier sites to use for free sports streaming because you’re not bombarded with as many ads (though, there are still a lot). It’s also easy to use; select a sport, find the teams you’re interested in watching, and then monitor the start time to know when the stream will be available.
The home page lists all the games streaming soon, so it’s easy to see what’s coming up.
Stream2Watch
- The site: Stream2Watch
- The sports you can watch: Football, baseball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, baseball, rugby, and others.
- Notes: This site features intrusive pop-ups.
Stream2Watch is a live sports streaming site that gathers streams from other sites. It features baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and other sports streams. It’s a reasonably comprehensive site, and there’s a good chance you’ll find a good game or match.
Like many sites that embed streams from external sources, you may run into intrusive and misleading pop-up ads on Stream2Watch. Running a good ad blocker helps keep you safe.
Even with an ad blocker, you may still see ads overlaid on some videos. The best solution is to close each ad and immediately select Back on the browser if you’re sent to another page.
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