Why You Can Trust CNET La Liga Soccer Livestream: How to Watch Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad From Anywhere
Table-toppers Los Blancos take on Imanol Alguacil's side at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Madrid will look to maintain their perfect start to the new La Liga season as they host Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Carlo Ancelotti's Los Blancos have notched up 12 points from an available 12 to open up an early lead over perennial rivals Barcelona. New midfield signing Jude Bellingham has proved an astute acquisition since his $110 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund, with five goals in just four games.
Up next for Real Madrid at the Bernabéu is a midtable Sociedad side that is so far unbeaten in the league and one which has a decent recent record against their hosts.
Madrid have only won two of their last six La Liga games against their opponents on Sunday, with Sociedad coming out on top 2-0 when these teams last met in May.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch all of the action live wherever you are in the world.
New signing Jude Bellingham has made a sparkling start to his Real Madrid career, with the midfielder becoming the first English player to be named La Liga Player of the Month following his superb form in August.
Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad: When and where?
Real Madrid host Real Sociedad at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m CEST local time, making it a 3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m PT start in the US, an 8 p.m. start in the UK and a 5 a.m. AEST kick-off in Australia.
How to watch the Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad 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 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free -- the equivalent of $6.67 per month -- if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream the Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad game in the US
This fixture is available to stream in the US via ESPN Plus, which has live English- and Spanish-language broadcast rights for La Liga in the US.
ESPN's standalone streaming service costs $10 a month or $100 for an annual subscription. Read our ESPN Plus review.
Livestream the Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad game in the UK
La Liga broadcast rights in the UK are with Viaplay, with kickoff for this match set for 8 p.m. BST on Sunday evening.
You'll need to be a subscriber to Viaplay's Total package to watch its La Liga coverage, which is priced at £15 a month or £144 a year.
Viaplay currently has the UK broadcast rights to the United Rugby Championship, La Liga soccer, plus the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and Champions Hockey League.
Livestream the Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad game in Canada
For Canadian soccer fans, Sunday's big game is available to watch via TSN 5, as well as the network's streaming service TSN Plus.
TSN Plus is a new direct streaming service, boasting exclusive coverage of PGA Tour Live golf, NFL games, F1, Nascar and the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Ideal for cord-cutters, the service is priced at CA$20 a month or CA$200 per year.
Livestream the Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad game in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch this fixture on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing La Liga games 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 La Liga using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming Spanish La Liga 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.