Benfica and Barcelona go into battle once more as these familiar foes face off at the Estádio da Luz on Tuesday in the first leg of this UEFA Champions League last-16 matchup.
Wednesday’s match comes hot on the heels of a chaotic UCL league phase encounter between these two sides back in January, in which Barcelona came out on top with a battling 5-4 comeback win.
That result helped to ensure Barcelona claimed a top-eight finish, while Benfica had to make it past Monaco in the playoffs to reach this stage of the competition.
Benfica take on Barcelona on Wednesday, March 5, at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. WET local time in Portugal. That also makes it an 8 p.m. GMT start in the UK, a 3 p.m. ET or 12 p.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and a 7 a.m. AEDT kickoff in Australia on Thursday morning.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the match as it happens, wherever you are in the world.
Brazilian star Raphinha hit a 96th-minute winner in Barcelona’s dramatic 5-4 win over Benfica back in January.
Livestream Benfica vs. Barcelona in the US
American soccer fans can stream every fixture of this season’s tournament via Paramount Plus, which has exclusive live English-language broadcast rights in the US for the UEFA Champions League.
How to watch every UEFA Champions League 2024/25 game online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view UCL matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the games — 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.
Livestream Benfica vs. Barcelona in the UK
TNT Sports broadcasts the majority of Champions League games in the UK, with this match set to be shown live on TNT Sports 3 and TNT Sports 3 HD channels.
Livestream Benfica vs. Barcelona in Canada
If you want to stream UCL games live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to DAZN Canada. The service has exclusive broadcast rights to the Champions League this season.
Livestream Benfica vs. Barcelona in Australia
Football fans Down Under can watch UCL matches on streaming service Stan Sport, which has exclusive rights to show the Champions League live in Australia this season.
Quick tips for streaming UEFA Champions League matches using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming Champions League games 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 to fix quickly. 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.
- 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.
