In the age of streaming services and the internet, there has never been a better time to be a football fan. With dozens of leagues to choose from across the globe, you’d be hard pressed to find a day without a game of football to watch.
But sadly, for the sake of our bank accounts, this hobby can quickly rack up quite the credit card bill — particularly, if you’re a diehard fan.
So how much, exactly, does it cost to be Australia’s biggest football fan? We’ve crunched the numbers so you don’t have to.
How much does it cost to stream live football in Australia?
English football
English Premier League
If you consider yourself a football fan, you’re definitely watching the English Premier League — the most-watched league in the world, and for good reason.
To watch the English Premier League in Australia, you’ll need a subscription to Optus Sport, which will set you back $24.99 per month, or $6.99 per month if you’re an Optus customer.
Optus Sport is Australia’s home of Premier League until 2028 and FA Women’s Super League until 2024
UEFA Champions League
While the Premier League may be the most-watched league in the world, the Champions League is arguably the best. The top 32 teams from across the continent fighting it out to be crowned the kings of European football? It makes for TV that can’t be missed.
To watch the UEFA Champions League (as well as the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup) in Australia you will need a Stan Sport subscription, which will cost $10 per month, on top of the $10 per month price of a basic Stan subscription ($20 in total).
FA Cup
The world’s oldest football tournament is also one of the best, bringing together clubs big and small from across English football. If you’ve got a Premier League team, you’re going to want to watch their FA Cup games as well.
To watch the FA Cup in Australia, you’ll need a Paramount+ subscription, which costs $8.99 per month.
Here's the complete TV schedule for the #EmiratesFACup fourth round proper 📺
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 20, 2023
Carabao Cup
If you want to watch your team win the quadruple, you’ll also need to get a subscription to watch the Carabao Cup which, sadly, requires a fourth subscription.
To watch the Carabao Cup in Australia, you will need a Kayo Sports subscription for $25 per month.
Women’s Super League
If you want to watch the top tier women’s football competition, which features the likes of Australia’s own Sam Kerr (Only Sports’ Athlete of the Year), Steph Catley and Hayley Raso, you’re in luck because the Barclay’s Women’s Super League or WSL is also available on Optus Sport.
To watch the Women’s Super League in Australia, you’ll need a subscription to Optus Sport, which will set you back $24.99 per month, or $6.99 per month if you’re an Optus customer.
Embed from Getty ImagesEuropean leagues
While it’s slightly annoying that you need four different streaming services to watch every game for the big English football clubs, this means you’ll end up with access to a bunch of other leagues across Europe without having to pay an extra cent.
La Liga
The second most-watched league in the world, La Liga, is yours to watch at no additional cost if you are already watching the Premier League on Optus Sport.
Watch La Liga on Optus Sport for $24.99 per month or $6.99 as an Optus customer.
Serie A
The top tier Italian league featuring like AC Milan and Juventus is also available on Kayo for your viewing pleasure, alongside the league’s 2+ million other viewers.
Watch Serie A on Kayo for $25 per month.
Bundesliga
Bundesliga is one of the best supported leagues in the world when it comes to in-person attendance. But even if you can’t make it IRL, you can watch the German league at home as part of your Kayo subscription.
Watch Bundesliga on Kayo for $25 per month.
Ligue 1
You can watch the GOAT, Lionel Messi, play for PSG in Ligue 1 without paying an extra cent if you’re already subscribing to Kayo for the Carabao Cup.
Watch Ligue 1 on Kayo for $25 per month.
So, how much does it cost to be a football fan?
If you’re strictly a fan of the European leagues, being a football fan isn’t too harsh on the bank account, setting you back $45 per month or $540 per year.
However, if you’re an English football fan, or a fan of both English and European football, you’re in for a much steeper annual bill of $947.76 per year or $78.98 per month.
WRITE THESE DOWN | Your calendar of unmissable sporting events for 2023
How does Australia’s pricing compare to the UK?
While this may seem expensive, it’s worth noting that we still pay just a fraction of what fans do in England, where it costs more than £700 (1,224.60) per year just for the full catalogue of Premier League matches (not including UCL, FA Cup or Carabao Cup games).
Is there a cheaper alternative if I only want to watch one team?
If watching games live as it happens isn’t a non-negotiable for you, there are alternative options such as club TV packages for the major English clubs (Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea) available through Foxtel. Club TV will show every match your team plays for a more affordable price than paying for access to the entire league’s games, but the catch is that you won’t be able to watch live.