What subscriptions are needed to watch sports in France?

The broadcast rights for many sports are renegotiated each year and often swap hands between different services. We detail the subscriptions available to follow Premier League football, Super League rugby, PGA golf, NFL, NBA and Indian Premier League cricket

Free sports coverage on France’s TNT channels is limited to major international tournaments, such as the European Championships, the World Cup and the Olympic Games.

France’s domestic football leagues matches are broadcast on beIN SPORTS and DAZN.

Read more: France ‘must crackdown on rise in illegal sports streaming sites’

This limited sports coverage extends to foreign sports, which for 2024-25 all require a subscription service.

Some foreign sports are easier to follow than others in France; Super League rugby is currently without a broadcast deal as is T20 cricket, while the coverage of other sports varies between full matches to limited highlights.

Read more: Can you still watch the BBC in France?

How to watch English Premier League football in France

Canal+ has the Premier League broadcast rights in France. 

Matches are broadcast on CANAL+, CANAL+ SPORT 360 and CANAL+ FOOT.

You need a CANAL+ SPORT subscription to watch these channels.

UK-based streaming service DAZN recently acquired the international rights to broadcast non-league football from the National League, National League North and National League South. 

How to watch Super League rugby in France

No French broadcaster currently owns the rights to show the Super League.

However, the home matches of the Catalan Dragons are often broadcast on L’Equipe.

L’Equipe is no longer available with a Canal+ subscription, and requires its own subscription. 

How to watch PGA golf in France

Canal+ has the rights to the PGA tour in France.

Coverage on CANAL+ and CANAL+ SPORT 360 includes the four major tournaments (Augusta Masters, The Open, US Open and PGA Championship) as well as the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup, all the DP World Tour tournaments and The Amundi Evian Championship in France.

You need a CANAL+ SPORT subscription to watch CANAL+ SPORT 360.

How to watch the NFL in France

UK streaming service DAZN purchased the rights to broadcast all NFL matches in France for 2024-2025.

The service's extensive coverage lets users watch the matches (most of which take place in the early hours of the morning) at any time.

How to watch the NBA in France

The broadcast rights for the NBA for the 2025 season were purchased by Amazon Prime in July. However, it is likely that beIN SPORTS will continue its existing deal to broadcast in France.

beIN SPORTS is included in a Canal+ Sport subscription.

How to watch the Indian Premier League in France

Online streaming service YuppTV has the European broadcasting rights for Indian Premier League cricket.

How to watch Ligue 1 in France

The broadcast rights for France's top division are shared between DAZN and beIN  SPORTS. 

DAZN, which only recently acquired these rights, is reportedly considering an increase to its subscription prices. Qatari broadcaster beIN allows views to pay on a match-by-match basis.

Using a VPN to watch sport in France

At present, it is not illegal to watch online streams, either in a browser or via an IPTV box. However websites retransmitting online streams of copyrighted content is not permitted.

Read more: Is it legal to use a VPN to watch TV in France?

An increasing number of internet users are also equipped with VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). These systems, which are also not illegal, allow users to access content that is blocked in their own country but available in other countries.

This can often be the case for football matches, which may be shown for free in one country, but on a pay-per-view channel in another.