Why You Can Trust CNET Watch FA Cup Soccer: Livestream Nottingham Forest vs. Man United From Anywhere
The Tricky Trees take on last year's beaten finalists at the City Ground.
Two sides looking to bounce back from defeats in the English Premier League go head to head in the fifth round of the FA Cup, as Nottingham Forest host Manchester United.
After an important win over West Ham, Nuno Espírito Santo's Tricky Trees were brought back down to earth with a stinging 4-2 defeat away to Aston Villa -- a result that leaves them one place above the relegation zone.
United, meanwhile, saw a run of five straight wins across all competitions come to a halt on Saturday as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham. With local rivals Man City up next in the EPL for the Red Devils, Erik ten Hag will be determined to get back to winning ways today ahead of that key fixture.
While United will be the favorites to progress to the quarterfinals, Forest beat United 2-1 at the City Ground in their league clash at the tail end of December, with Morgan Gibbs-White's late goal sealing the win in an entertaining encounter.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live, wherever you are in the world.
Since making the move from Man United in the summer, Anthony Elanga has registered five goals and seven assists in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest.
Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester United: When and where?
Nottingham Forest host Manchester United in this FA Cup fifth-round clash at the City Ground, on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. GMT local time in the UK (2:45 p.m. ET, 11:45 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 6:45 a.m. AEST on Thursday, Feb. 29 in Australia).
How to watch the Nottingham Forest vs. Man United 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. 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 35% -- the equivalent of $8.32 per month -- if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream the Nottingham Forest vs. Man United game in the US
This cup match at the City Ground is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. Kickoff is at 2:45 p.m. ET (11:45 a.m. PT) on Wednesday for viewers in the States.
ESPN's standalone streaming service costs $11 a month or $110 for an annual subscription. With it, you'll be able to watch all of this season's FA Cup fixtures. Read our ESPN Plus review.
How to livestream the Nottingham Forest vs. Man United game in the UK for free
The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to-air broadcasters the BBC and ITV are sharing live duties for this season's FA Cup.
This fixture is being shown exclusively on BBC1, with coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. GMT ahead of the 7:45 p.m. kick-off.
With the match being broadcast on BBC1, that also means you'll also be able to watch the game online for free via the network's on-demand streaming service, BBC iPlayer.
With an app that's available for Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as a vast array of smart TVs and streaming boxes, all you need is a valid UK TV license to stream the game.
Livestream Nottingham Forest vs. Man United game in Canada
Canadian soccer fans looking to watch this FA Cup fixture can watch all the action live via Sportsnet.
Sportsnet is available via most cable operators, but cord-cutters can subscribe to the network's standalone streaming service Sportsnet Plus instead, with prices starting at CA$15 per month or CA$180 per year.
Livestream Nottingham Forest vs. Man United game in Australia
ViacomCBS holds the broadcast rights for the FA Cup in Australia, which means you can watch matches from the tournament live Down Under via streaming service Paramount Plus. You'll just have to set an alarm for early on Thursday morning: kickoff is at 6:45 a.m. AEDT.
An Australian Paramount Plus subscription currently costs AU$10 a month, which gives you access to Paramount's coverage of this year's tournament, as well as Hollywood movies such as Top Gun: Maverick and original shows like Picard and Tulsa King.
Quick tips for streaming the FA Cup using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming FA Cup 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.