All the details you need to watch the European competition's quarter-finals

European Challenge Cup live stream: How to watch from anywhere

The 2020-21 European Challenge Cup has been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic but now it’s quarter-final time!

Following last weekend’s round of 16, we are now down to the final eight teams challenging for the trophy, with one club from each of France, Ireland and Italy alongside five English teams.

Related: European Challenge Cup fixtures

All four matches this weekend will be shown live on BT Sport in the UK and below you can find out how to find a reliable Challenge Cup live stream wherever you are.


How to watch the European Challenge Cup from outside your country

If you’re abroad, but still want to watch your local Challenge Cup coverage, you can do so by using a VPN – Virtual Private Network.

VPNs allow you to get around any geo-blocking by changing your IP address so you appear in a different location and can watch the same legal Challenge Cup live stream you would at home.

Our friends at TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPN and recommend ExpressVPN, which is easy to use, has strong security features and allows you to watch on several devices at once, including smart TVs and phones, iPads, tablets, PCs and Macs.

Plus, ExpressVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get three months free.


European Challenge Cup live stream: How to watch from the UK & Ireland

BT Sport has the rights to show the Challenge Cup in the UK and Ireland, and are showing every match in the knockout stages.

If you don’t have a BT contract but want to watch the competition, don’t worry because you can still easily watch it online. That’s because BT Sport has a contract-free monthly pass that allows you to get instant access to all four of their sport channels for just £25.

If you’re from the UK but are overseas when there is a particular match you want to watch, you can get your normal live stream but you’ll need a VPN – see the information above.


European Challenge Cup live stream: How to watch from France

To watch the Challenge Cup in France, beIN Sports is the place to go as they are the main rights holders.

Certain matches are also available on free-to-air France Télévisions, with Montpellier v Benetton on France 4 this weekend.


European Challenge Cup live stream: How to watch from New Zealand

Sky Sport NZ has the rights to show the Challenge Cup in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Bath v London Irish is on Sky Sport 1, Leicester v Newcastle is on Sky Sport 9, Montpellier v Benetton is on Sky Sport 1 and Northampton v Ulster on Sky Sport 3.

It costs $31.99 a month to add Sky Sport to your Sky Starter pack ($25.99) but if you sign up for 12 months before 30 June 2021 you’ll get your first month free. Plus, you’ll get Sky Go, which allows you to watch live rugby wherever you are.


European Challenge Cup live stream: How to watch from South Africa

SuperSport has the rights to broadcast the Challenge Cup in South Africa and will be showing all four quarter-finals live this weekend.

There are various DStv packages available that give access to SuperSport, ranging from Access, which has the Blitz and Variety 4 channels, to Premium, which includes all 18 sports channels.


European Challenge Cup live stream: How to watch from elsewhere

EPCR have launched an OTT service, epcrugby.tv, so you can stream live Challenge Cup matches outside of its core broadcast territories (UK & Ireland, France, USA, Malta, Spain, Andorra, Portugal, Malta, Australia and Sub-Saharan Africa).

It’s €19.99 for a weekend pass, which allows you to watch all Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarter-finals.


We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

  1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
  2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing. 

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