Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Final this Saturday, but for the first time in 34 years, there will be no way for fans in the UK to watch it for free.
Showing Europe’s premier competition has been out of the hands of freeview broadcaster ITV for over a decade now, having first gone to BT Sport, before that became TNT Sports in 2023.
However, each year the broadcaster has streamed the final for free, some years through YouTube and others via a free Discovery+ account.
Why isn't the Champions League Final free to watch this year?
This year, however, fans in the UK will have no free-to-view option, just as they didn’t for the Conference League and Europa League finals.
While a full TNT Sports subscription won’t be required, the cheapest option this year will be a one-month £4.99 HBO Max subscription, which most Sky customers already get for free.
Fans representing all nine Premier League clubs who’ve been involved in Europe this season join forces to call on TNT to make Saturday’s Champions League final free to watch. “Football is for the fans. We stand together in support of the tradition of European club competition…May 28, 2026
The move has provoked a response from Sir Keir Starmer, the UK’s prime minister writing: "I was saddened to see that, for the first time since the competition started 34 years ago, TNT Sports has decided that [the fixture] will not be free to watch for football supporters here in the UK.
"Hard-working people should not have to worry about forking out for a subscription to watch a game of this magnitude."
TNT Sports responded, but did not provide a reason for the change in policy, merely stating that it represented good value.
"We have made all three UEFA finals this year available from just £4.99, the price for a month-long subscription to HBO Max that also includes the great entertainment on the service. This represents exceptional value for fans to watch the conclusion of the competitions," they said.
One reason for the change could lie in the fact that the end is in sight as far as their rights over UEFA’s three European competitions go, meaning they may be looking to make the most of their rights.
From the 2027/28 season, Paramount will be the home of the Champions League, while Sky Sports will be showing the Europa League and Conference League.
So, in short, based on TNT Sports’ statement, the choice to not show the game for free appears to have been an economic decision.
Previous governments have, in the past, rejected a House of Lords select committee proposal to add the Champions League Final to a list of “crown jewel” events – including the likes of Wimbledon and the Grand National – that would ensure it had to be shown on free-to-air TV.
BBC Sport report that the current government has no plans at this stage to revisit that decision.
