Where to Watch La Liga in the US in 2026-27
Last updated: September 2026
Every La Liga match is on ESPN in the United States this season — all 380 of them, in English and in Spanish, and the cheapest way to get them costs $13.99 a month. The confusion is not about who holds the rights. It is about what ESPN's subscription tiers are called now, because the service you knew as ESPN+ was renamed, repriced, and split in two.
Here is the current map, with prices checked against ESPN's own pages on September 22, 2026.
Is La Liga still on ESPN+?
Yes — but "ESPN+" now means something different from what it meant two years ago.
ESPN signed an eight-year agreement with LaLiga in 2021 that runs through the 2028-29 season, covering both English- and Spanish-language rights in the US. That deal has not moved. What moved is the packaging around it.
When ESPN launched its full direct-to-consumer service in August 2025, the ESPN+ subscription stopped being sold. Existing ESPN+ subscribers were converted to a tier called ESPN Select, and a premium tier called ESPN Unlimited was introduced alongside it.
But ESPN kept "ESPN+" alive as the name of a digital channel inside the app — the streaming-only feed that carries events with no linear home. That is why ESPN's own September 2026 press releases still say things like "all 380 matches available live in English and Spanish on ESPN+." They mean the feed, not a subscription you can buy.
The practical translation: when a La Liga fixture is listed as "ESPN+," you need ESPN Select or ESPN Unlimited to watch it. There is no separate ESPN+ product to subscribe to any more.
ESPN Unlimited vs ESPN+ / ESPN Select: which tier carries La Liga, and what each costs
Both do. The difference is what else you get, and whether you want the linear channels.
ESPN's per-season structure for 2026-27, from its own announcement:
- All 380 matches stream live in English and Spanish on the ESPN+ feed.
- At least 20 matches also air on linear ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.
- At least 200 matches get a Spanish-language simulcast on ESPN Deportes.
Because the linear matches are simulcasts rather than exclusives, ESPN Select subscribers do not miss anything. The entire season sits inside the cheaper tier.
ESPN raised both prices on September 17, 2026 — the first increase since the DTC launch. Subscribers who signed up before August 20, 2026 kept the old rate until their first billing date after September 17.
| Service | Price (as of September 17, 2026) | What you get for La Liga |
|---|---|---|
| ESPN Select | $13.99/mo, $139.99/yr | All 380 matches, English and Spanish, on the ESPN+ feed. Does not include the ESPN channel. |
| ESPN Unlimited | $31.99/mo, $319.99/yr | Everything in Select, plus live ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN on ABC |
| Antenna (ABC) | Free after the antenna | Only the ABC matches — but that includes El Clásico on October 25 |
| Sling Essentials | $19.99/mo | ESPN and ESPN2 only. The linear matches, not the full 380 |
| Sling Orange | $45.99/mo | ESPN and ESPN2; ESPN Deportes needs the Best of Spanish TV add-on (about $10) |
| YouTube TV base plan | $82.99/mo | ESPN and ESPN2. ESPN Deportes is not in the base plan |
| YouTube TV Spanish Plan | $34.99/mo, standalone | ESPN Deportes and 28+ Spanish networks. No English-language ESPN |
| Hulu + Live TV | $89.99/mo | ESPN channels, with ESPN Select bundled in |
| DIRECTV MySports | $64.99/mo ($44.99 for the first six months) | ESPN channels, with ESPN Unlimited included. Five-day free trial |
| Fubo Latino | $19.99/mo | ESPN Deportes |
Old prices, for reference: ESPN Select was $12.99/month and $129.99/year; ESPN Unlimited was $29.99/month and $299.99/year.
ESPN also sells bundles, but it does not publish their prices on its plans page — it points to the Disney+ Help Center instead. Sports Media Watch reported the Disney+ bundle with ESPN Select rising from roughly $20 to $22 a month (about $30 to $33 ad-free), with the Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited bundle unchanged at about $36. Treat those as reported figures and confirm at checkout.
Which should you buy? If La Liga is the reason you are subscribing, Select at $13.99 is the answer — $139.99 for the year works out to about 37 cents a match. Unlimited at $31.99 only earns its keep if you also want Monday Night Football, the College Football Playoff, or ESPN Deportes as a live channel rather than an in-app audio option.
How to watch La Liga without cable in 2026
Cable is the expensive route here, not the cheap one. Three paths, cheapest first.
1. ESPN Select alone — $13.99 a month. Every match, both languages, no TV provider involved. Cancel when the season ends in May and you have spent about $125 for 380 matches.
2. An antenna, for the ABC matches — free. ABC is a free over-the-air broadcast network. A $30 indoor antenna picks it up in most metro areas and delivers the marquee fixtures ESPN puts on network television, including El Clásico. This covers only a handful of matches a season, but it costs nothing per month.
3. A live TV package, if you want the channels too. Sling Essentials at $19.99 is the cheapest way to get ESPN and ESPN2 as live channels. DIRECTV MySports at $64.99 is the best value among the full sports packages because ESPN Unlimited is bundled into it, which means you get the 380-match feed as well as the channels.
ESPN does not advertise a standing free trial for Select or Unlimited. DIRECTV MySports offers a five-day trial, and Fubo a five-day trial, if you want to test before paying.
One thing to skip: you do not need a VPN to watch La Liga in the US. Most streaming services prohibit VPN use in their terms of service anyway, and the official route here is cheap enough that there is nothing to route around.
How to watch El Clásico in the US
The first Clásico of the 2026-27 season — Barcelona vs Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou — is on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET, and it is on ABC.
That is a genuine first. ESPN has never put a regular-season El Clásico on broadcast network television in the United States before. A one-hour pre-match show starts at 3:00 p.m. ET, also on ABC. ESPN lists it as the 265th official meeting between the two clubs.
So there are four ways to watch it:
- ABC over an antenna — free, no subscription, no login
- ESPN Select ($13.99/mo) — the ESPN+ feed, in English or Spanish
- ESPN Deportes — Spanish-language, via ESPN Unlimited or a pay-TV package
- ESPN Unlimited ($31.99/mo) — the ABC simulcast inside the ESPN app
The free antenna route is the one most guides forget. If El Clásico is the only Spanish football you watch all year, an antenna is the entire answer.
The second Clásico of the season, at the Santiago Bernabéu, has not had its date or network confirmed at the time of writing. La Liga typically fixes second-half kickoff times a few weeks out.
How to watch Real Madrid games in the US
For La Liga matches, the answer is the same as for any other club: ESPN Select covers all 38 of Real Madrid's league fixtures, with roughly a handful simulcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. ESPN opened the 2026-27 season by putting both Madrid and Barcelona on network television across August 22-23.
Real Madrid's season does not fit inside one subscription, though:
| Competition | Where it is in the US |
|---|---|
| La Liga | ESPN Select / ESPN Unlimited / ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 |
| Champions League | Paramount+ (every match), CBS for select fixtures |
| Copa del Rey | ESPN networks, typically ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes |
| Supercopa de España | ESPN networks, each January |
If you follow Real Madrid across everything, budget for ESPN Select plus Paramount+. Our Champions League guide covers the European side in full — CBS holds the exclusive English-language rights, so there is no ESPN route to those matches.
How to change to Spanish-language commentary
ESPN produces every La Liga match in both languages, so this is a setting, not a second subscription.
In the ESPN app (phone or tablet):
- Open the ESPN app and tap the Settings gear icon
- Tap Edition
- Select U.S. - ESPN Deportes
- Confirm by tapping Switch to U.S. - ESPN Deportes
To go back, repeat the steps and choose EE.UU - Inglés. Switching edition changes the whole app — scores, news and the stream language — not just the audio on one match.
On a TV or set-top box: ESPN does not publish step-by-step instructions for connected TV devices. The general method is to press the Menu or Options button on your remote during playback and look for an Audio or Language entry. On cable and satellite boxes, the equivalent is the SAP (secondary audio program) setting in your TV or receiver menu.
On the ESPN Deportes channel itself: no toggle needed — it is Spanish-language by default, and it carries at least 200 La Liga matches a season. Getting it without cable means ESPN Unlimited ($31.99), the YouTube TV Spanish Plan ($34.99 standalone), Fubo Latino ($19.99), or Sling's Best of Spanish TV paired with Sling Orange.
ESPN describes La Liga as the only major European league in the US with full English- and Spanish-language distribution; the Premier League, Serie A and the Bundesliga all split theirs across different companies. For the German league's Spanish route, see our Bundesliga in Spanish guide.
What happened to soccer on ESPN+?
La Liga staying put is the exception, not the rule. ESPN's football portfolio has been shrinking for several years, and 2026 was the year it became obvious.
The Bundesliga left after 2025-26. Its six-season run in the ESPN ecosystem ended, and German football moved to a completely different structure: around 270 matches stream free on Fandango, at least 30 air on USA Network under a five-year deal with Versant's USA Sports, and Telemundo, Universo and Peacock hold the Spanish-language rights. Our Bundesliga guide has the full breakdown.
The EFL left earlier. ESPN's rights to the Championship, League One and League Two expired after the 2023-24 season and were not renewed.
MLS went to Apple in 2023, on a ten-year exclusive deal.
The pattern is not limited to football: ESPN lost UFC to Paramount+ and Formula 1 to Apple TV in 2026. Check what is actually left in the package before renewing — for many households the answer is now "La Liga, the FA Cup and college sports."
What ESPN kept in football: La Liga through 2028-29, the FA Cup, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa. If your interest is the English top flight rather than the Spanish one, that sits elsewhere entirely — see our Premier League guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is La Liga on ESPN+ or ESPN Select in 2026-27?
Both names point to the same thing. ESPN+ is now a digital channel inside the ESPN app, not a subscription. To watch it you need ESPN Select ($13.99/month) or ESPN Unlimited ($31.99/month).
What is the cheapest way to watch La Liga in the US?
ESPN Select at $13.99 a month, or $139.99 for the year. It carries all 380 matches in both languages. Nothing cheaper covers the full season.
Do I need ESPN Unlimited to watch every La Liga match?
No. Every match is on the ESPN+ feed, which ESPN Select includes. Unlimited adds the live ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes channels, which matters for other sports, not for La Liga coverage.
What channel is El Clásico on in the US?
ABC, on Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. ET — the first regular-season Clásico ever broadcast on ABC. It is also on the ESPN+ feed in English and Spanish, and on ESPN Deportes in Spanish.
Can I watch La Liga in Spanish?
Yes. All 380 matches have a Spanish-language stream on the ESPN+ feed, and at least 200 are simulcast on ESPN Deportes. Switch the ESPN app's Edition setting to U.S. - ESPN Deportes.
Is La Liga free anywhere in the US?
Only the matches ESPN puts on ABC, which is free over the air with an antenna. That is at most a handful of fixtures a season out of 380, but it includes the October 25 Clásico.
Bottom line
La Liga is the simplest major European league to follow in the United States, and one of the cheapest: $13.99 a month on ESPN Select buys all 380 matches in English or Spanish, with no gaps and no second subscription. ESPN Unlimited at $31.99 is only worth it if you want the linear channels for other sports. Add an antenna for the free ABC broadcasts, including the October 25 El Clásico, and add Paramount+ only if you follow Real Madrid or Barcelona into the Champions League. Check your ESPN bill after September 17 — both tiers went up, and the old rate expired at your first billing date after that.
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