The 2018 Copa Libertadores final became too dangerous and high-profile for its home teams. The South American competition’s championship this year happened to feature crosstown rivals who harbor Montague and Capulet disdain for each other, and after players were tear-gassed and attacked by fans in Buenos Aires, we’re settling this one overseas in Madrid. Here’s everything you need to know to live stream the 2018 Copa Libertadores final between Argentinian blood rivals, Boca Juniors and River Plate.
| HOW TO WATCH COPA LIBERTADORES WITHOUT CABLE | |
| HULU WITH LIVE TV | TRY NOW |
| FUBOTV | TRY NOW |
| AT&T TV NOW | TRY NOW |
2018 Copa Libertadores: River Plate vs. Boca Juniors
- When: Sunday, Dec. 9, at 2:30pm ET
- Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
- Streaming: Telemundo (U.S.), Fox Deportes (U.S.), FuboTV
2018 Copa Libertadores: How to watch online for free
The good news: This viral, crossover South American event has never been more accessible to U.S. soccer fans. The game is on Telemundo, which is an over-the-air channel you can freely access at home with an HD TV antenna. Seriously, this one is $15 at CVS and I use it at home—even bought one for the office. For cord-cutters, having immediate access to the basic channels (Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, Univision, Telemundo) is the secret sauce to making it work. But if you don’t have a TV or are on the go and need a live stream, we’ve got you covered.
1) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $44.95 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
Hulu has always been the best option for catching up on your favorite TV shows online. Now it’s also one of the best ways to watch live programming and sports. Hulu with Live TV offers 60 channels, including a full suite of ESPN channels, FS1 and FS2, NBCSN and CBS Sports Network, not to mention all of the major local TV channels. The best part: Every Hulu with Live TV subscription unlocks Hulu’s full catalog of on-demand entertainment, so you can watch movies, documentaries, anime, and Hulu original series when the game’s over. (Here’s the complete list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
2) FuboTV
- Cost: $44.99 for your first month and $54.99 per month thereafter
- Devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS, and Android devices
FuboTV is one of the leading live TV streaming services, offering a compelling combination of sports (NBA TV, NFL Network), entertainment (AMC, Syfy, FX), and news (MSNBC, CNN) channels in its core package. But where it really shines is with international soccer, offering UniMas, 10 beIN Sports channels, NBCSN, FS1 and FS2, and more, so you can watch everything from English Premier League to La Liga all in one place. You’ll also get three-day replay for games and 30 hours of cloud DVR. (Here’s the complete FuboTV channels list.)
3) AT&T TV Now
- Cost: $50-$135 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, iOS and Android devices
- Local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
There’s a good chance that you’re already looking to AT&T for your wireless needs. The second you sign up you’ll gain instant access to 45+ channels, including local channels and even free HBO on PLUS and MAX channel suites. Plus, it comes with CloudDVR which lets you record up to 20 hours of TV per month. One account works on two devices, but you can add more devices for only $5.
4) YouTube TV
- Cost: $49.99 per month
- Devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
Just how dedicated is YouTube TV to streaming soccer? The service offers three channels devoted to MLS teams, a feature no other streaming service can match. YouTube TV also offers ESPN and ESPN2, Big Ten Network, and specialty channels like NBA TV and MLB Network. If you’re looking to split a service with roommates, YouTube TV is ideal: You can add up to six accounts per household, and each one of those accounts gets unlimited cloud DVR. (You can find the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
4) PlayStation Vue
- Cost:$44.99-$79.99 per month
- Devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
If you want to stream live TV via your PlayStation, this is your best option, but you don’t need a gaming console to use PlayStation Vue. The streaming service is also available via Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, iOS and Android devices and even Kodi. Which is great, because you can stream on up to five devices at once, so you can watch on your phone without worrying about causing problems for someone at home. PlayStation Vue offers four different levels of channel packages, but you’ll find most of what you need in the entry-level Access package, which costs $44.99 per month. (Here are all of PlayStation Vue channels.)
Copa Libertadores: Why it matters
South America’s Copa Libertadores is basically the Champions League: The top South American clubs from different countries play a tournament. It’s the oldest such competition in the world—the South American Super Bowl. But with the stakes so high, the home-and-home series between Boca Juniors and River Plate took a turn.
After a nuts 2-2 draw in Boca’s iconic La Bonbonera stadium (the box of chocolates), the final game was scrapped after angry River Plate fans broke the windows of Boca’s bus and sent several players to the hospital. Riot police tear-gassed the area and fumes likewise went into Boca’s bus. This led to two weeks of politics, and finally, a tentative agreement to play out this thing Sunday in Madrid. (We’ll see if Boca, which campaigned to be declared the champion as a sort of fair play settlement, shows up.) The world is rooting for Boca: It’s the working-class Buenos Aires team of the people with the cooler stadium and the team that got tear-gassed. River Plate, a club housed in the more affluent Belgrano neighborhood, doesn’t shy away from its Los Millonarios nickname, which began in the 1930s when the club became infamous for buying all the good players, Yankees-style.
These days the best Argentian talent is immediately purchased by European power players, so these clubs are built on veteran legends returning home to close out their careers with boyhood clubs (Carlos Tevez) paired with heavily scouted young talent. Get ready for fireworks.
New to cord-cutting? Here are our picks for the best movie streaming sites of 2018 and free live TV apps and channels. If you’re looking for a specific channel, here’s how to watch HBO, Showtime, Starz, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, AMC, FX, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, FS1, TBS, TNT, Golf Channel, Syfy, HGTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Bravo, Lifetime, Discovery, PBS, the CW, BBC, CSPAN, NBA TV, MTV, Comedy Central, Food Network, TLC, the Weather Channel, and NFL RedZone without cable, as well as free movies on YouTube. If you’re on the move, here’s how to watch Fox Sports Go and live stream NBC Sports.
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