If you want to watch BT Sport abroad outside the UK then you will be a VPN. BT Sport has become synonymous with sports streaming in the UK, with viewers being able to tune in at any time of the day to check out the latest in football, cricket, motorsports and tennis. What’s more, BT Sport now has exclusive rights to broadcast 58 live Premier League matches per season in the UK and Ireland.
Anybody living outside of these countries, however, will find themselves unable to watch the matches. You’ll need a British or Irish IP address to watch BT Sport – and this is where a VPN (or Virtual Private Network) comes in handy!
Best VPNS for BT Sport – at a glance
We have listed the best BT Sport VPN services below. We cover each provider in more detail further in the article, however, so keep scrolling to learn more.
- ExpressVPN - The best BT Sport VPN. It unblocks BT Sport and much more in HD. It has servers in 94+ countries including UK and Ireland.
- NordVPN - A large brand offering great value at a cheap price
- Surfshark - A cheap VPN for BT Sport. It's love users because it combines privacy measures and unblock streaming sites with ease.
- Private Internet Access - It has SOCKS5 proxies as well as a VPN. It provides privacy via a no-logs policy and as well as ad and malware blocking.
- CyberGhost VPN - A great value BT Sport VPN. It has easy to use apps for popular devices and unblocks BT Sport on it's British and Irish Severs.
In order to claim a spot in our top 5, the best VPNs for BT Sport met the following criteria:
- Can it unblock BT Sport? – an obvious factor, but all are reliable.
- Improves user security – They all encrypt user traffic.
- Fast servers worldwide – Avoid Buffering and loss of speeds.
- Offer simultaneous connections – Use on multiple devices with one subscription.
BT Sport VPN Services | In-depth analysis
Now it’s time to get into the real nitty-gritty! We take a closer look at the best VPNs for BT Sport below. If you’d like to read more about any of the providers mentioned here, visit their websites or our detailed review pages.
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for BT Sport. It's a veteran of the VPN market – offering super-fast servers in the UK and Ireland (5+ locations) and compatibility with all devices. ExpressVPN leads the charge when it comes to providing a top-notch service for BT Sport. With one subscription, you’ll have access to over 3,000 servers dotted across the globe (including locations in the UK and Ireland) – and they’re all incredibly fast, able to bypass ISP throttling and ensure no match is ever interrupted by the dreaded buffering circle. Express is available for Mac, Windows, Android, iOS, and Linux devices, as well as routers, and you’ll enjoy up to 5 simultaneous connections. In addition to BT Sport, Express can effortlessly unblock Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime. The VPN doesn’t skimp when it comes to security, either. A kill-switch keeps you safe in the event that your VPN connection drops, and an audited no-logs policy means your data will remain totally private. We’d definitely recommend taking Express for a spin with its 30-day money-back guarantee, and field any questions to its 24/7 customer service team! NordVPN is a no-logs VPN provider based in Panama that is strong on privacy. It is a reliable service with apps for all popular platforms that will easily let you bypass local censorship, access internationally geo-restricted content, or unblock content restricted by an admin in work, at school, or on public WiFi. NordVPN offers a wealth of market-leading security features that make it a good option for just about anybody. It also has rare privacy features such as double-hop connections, VPN over Tor, DNS-based malware protection, Smart DNS, and more, all at a very reasonable price point. Surfshark is cheap VPN for BT Sport. It boasts server locations in UK and Ireland, as well as unlimited simultaneous devices – all at a low cost. BT Sport customers will be glad to learn that Surfshark has more than 1,700 servers in 63 countries around the world – the UK and Ireland included. These servers are quick, and all of them are P2P friendly, which is a nice bonus. Despite being one of the newer VPNs on the market, Surfshark is a provider that packs a punch. It can comfortably provide access to 15 Netflix libraries, so you’ll never run out of shows and movies to take your mind off of a bad score. Users will be able to install Surfshark on any device, and browser extensions are available for Chrome and Firefox. We’re particularly impressed by Surfshark’s offer of unlimited simultaneous connections – you’ll be able to secure all of your devices, as well as your family’s! A Surfshark subscription includes a kill-switch, independently audited zero-logs policy, and the CleanWeb ad-blocker feature – handy for anyone making use of those browser extensions. So, put Surfshark through its paces yourself with its 30-day money-back guarantee, and get in touch with a friendly 24/7 support team with any issues. Private Internet Access is a secure VPN with SOCKS5 proxies as well as VPN servers. It comes with a huge pool of servers to pick from, and unlimited bandwidth, BT Sport users will have no trouble checking out games in HD. Private Internet Access (PIA) boasts a whopping 17,000+ servers across 74 countries – a number that’s continuing to grow! These bare metal servers are quick, and anyone looking to tune into BT Sport events will simply need to take their pick of the 1,189 servers in the UK, or the 106 in Ireland. PIA is particularly user-friendly thanks to its instant setup and simple interface, and a no-logs policy means there’s no sneaky logging to worry about. PIA comes with apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux, and supports a generous 10 simultaneous connections. As well as BT Sport, customers will be able to check out Netflix and BBC iPlayer without a fuss, though if you encounter any issues, a round-the-clock support team is on hand to help. Take PIA for a trial run with a 30-day money-back guarantee! CyberGhost is a great value VPN for BT Sport. It boasts plenty of servers in the UK and Ireland, as well as the necessary privacy features to help you keep a low online profile. More impressive than the fact that CyberGhost has more than 6,700 servers scattered around the world is that some are optimized for streaming. You’ll be able to watch every goal, try, and point in HD. Ideal for BT Sport customers, CyberGhost has over 1,000 quick servers in the UK, and 36 in Ireland. In addition to an automatic kill-switch, CyberGhost offers 7 simultaneous connections, as well as compatibility with all devices and platforms. Rest assured that your browsing history and user logs are well protected, too, by OpenVPN and a no-logs policy. It’s worth taking advantage of CyberGhost’s generous 45-day money-back guarantee, and a customer support team is available 24/7 via live chat to assist with any issues. 1. ExpressVPN
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Why do I need a VPN for BT Sport?
Currently, the majority of BT Sport’s channels are only available to viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This creates issues for folks living abroad, as well as British and Irish residents who have traveled overseas, as they won’t be able to watch any of the live sporting events.
BT Sport blocks people from its service based on their IP address. If you have a British or Irish IP address, you’ll be granted access with no issues, but otherwise, you’ll be out of luck. Don’t despair, however! A VPN is the ideal tool for spoofing your location.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the easiest way to access BT Sport from outside of the UK or Ireland. When you connect to a VPN, you are assigned a new, temporary IP address in the same location as the server you selected. Your original IP will be concealed, and the sites you visit will assume you’re physically located in the same place as your new IP address. So, by connecting to a VPN server in the UK, you’ll gain unfettered access to all of BT Sport’s live matches.
A VPN comes in handy elsewhere, too. We live in a digital age where there are countless threats to our online privacy – third-party hackers can try to access your information, and your government and ISP likewise keep tabs on what you get up to. As a VPN encrypts all of your data and traffic, you’ll have a truly private online experience.
A BT Sport VPN – what to consider?
Before you subscribe to a VPN, there are several things to consider to ensure that you get your money’s worth. We’d recommend any of the providers in this article, of course, but if you need help deciding, we’ve drawn up a list of key features to keep an eye out for:
- Servers – a VPN for BT Sport should have at least one server in the UK or Ireland, and a global network will grant you access to a wide selection of streaming services and sites.
- Speed – if you’re going to be watching live sports in HD, you’re going to need a fast VPN service with unlimited bandwidth.
- Encryption – the best VPNs do far more than just unblock Netflix; with one subscription, you’ll be able to keep all of your devices secure from snoopers, malware and trackers with OpenVPN encryption.
- Devices – regardless of whether you plan to secure all of your devices or share your subscription with friends and family, a VPN that offers app support for a number of platforms as well as simultaneous connections is a must.
- Money-back guarantee – in order to trial a VPN’s features, you’ll need to test them out for yourself. A money-back guarantee or VPN free trial allows you to do this without being tied in to a potentially unwanted, and lengthy, subscription.
How to set up a BT Sport VPN
It’s incredibly simple to install a VPN – in fact, the hardest part of the process will probably be deciding on a provider! Below, we’ve drawn up a step-by-step guide to setting up your VPN. Bear in mind, however, that you’ll need to create a BT Sport account if you haven’t already.
- Select a VPN provider – we’ve recommended five of the best above, though ExpressVPN is our top pick for BT Sport.
- Download and install the app for your device and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Log in to your VPN and activate any privacy features you may need.
- Connect to a server in the UK or Ireland.
You should now be able to tune in to BT Sport with no issues!
What can I watch with BT Sport?
Football tends to be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of BT Sport – and rightly so, as you’ll be spoiled for choice! BT Sport customers can enjoy 58 Premier League matches per season as well as the FA Cup and Scottish Professional Football League.
In addition, the other football treats you can catch are as follows:
- Bundesliga
- FA Community Shield
- FA Trophy
- Ligue 1
- National League
- UEFA Europa League
That’s not all, though. If football’s not your thing – or if you’re into other sports – you’ll also be able to watch:
- All of Australia’s home cricket matches
- European Rugby Challenge Cup
- FIH Hockey World League
- MotoGP
- Premiership Rugby Cup
- UFC
- WWE
Can I use a free VPN with BT Sport?
If your main goal is to use a VPN for streaming matches via BT Sport, it’s unlikely that a free VPN will work. Free services can be handy in a pinch or for more basic day-to-day browsing, but most lack the speed and servers for data-intensive tasks like streaming or downloading.
Typically, free services are smaller offshoots of larger, premium providers. They exist to tempt you into purchasing a full subscription, and as such, will come with limitations. These can include the following:
- A limited number of available servers
- Bandwidth caps
- Measly 500mb monthly data limits (no good for streaming full matches!)
- Only one connection – you won’t be able to use your VPN on multiple devices at any one time
If these setbacks aren’t enough to dissuade you from wanting to try out a VPN, we've compiled a list of the best free VPN services – they’re trustworthy, secure, and truly free. However, you’ll actually get a better feel for what a VPN can do for you (and whether it’s compatible with BT Sport) by making use of a VPNs free trial or 30-day money-back guarantee. Sure, you’ll need to fork out the initial cost, but once you do, you have a whole month to play with a VPN’s full roster of features – without limitations! If you’re not happy with any aspect of the service, simply claim your money back.
It’s also worth noting that there’s an awful lot of shady services out there that claim to offer an unlimited service at no cost. Sound too good to be true? Well, it is – we’ve never once come across a free VPN that can meet this claim!
These crooked providers will log your data to sell to third-parties instead of relying on a more trustworthy subscription model. So, you might think you’re getting the benefits of a VPN without having to shell out a monthly fee, but instead, you’ll be paying with your privacy. This is the exact opposite of what a VPN is supposed to do!
Conclusion
A VPN is the perfect tool to ensure that you never miss out on another match, try, or penalty shootout – provided you can stand to watch it in the first place! Unfortunately, as BT Sport is exclusive to customers in the UK and Ireland, a VPN is also necessary for anyone living elsewhere. With one, you’ll be able to spoof your location to fool the site into thinking you’re located in the UK, and then it’s just a matter of catching up on your favorite sports.
That’s not all a VPN can do for you, however. With one subscription, you’ll be able to secure multiple devices, stay safe when using public WiFi, and enjoy an unrestricted internet – just as it was intended.
So, let’s take a final look at our top 5 VPNs for BT Sport:
- ExpressVPN - The best BT Sport VPN. It unblocks BT Sport and much more in HD. It has servers in 94+ countries including UK and Ireland.
- NordVPN - A large brand offering great value at a cheap price
- Surfshark - A cheap VPN for BT Sport. It's love users because it combines privacy measures and unblock streaming sites with ease.
- Private Internet Access - It has SOCKS5 proxies as well as a VPN. It provides privacy via a no-logs policy and as well as ad and malware blocking.
- CyberGhost VPN - A great value BT Sport VPN. It has easy to use apps for popular devices and unblocks BT Sport on it's British and Irish Severs.
FAQS
Hopefully, you'll now know how to pick a great VPN for BT Sport, as well as understand the myriad benefits that come along with using a VPN. If not, don't worry! We've gone through some common questions below – check them out!