How to Watch the Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal Champions League Match for Free

The 2026-27 season kicked off in September, and the league phase will run through January 2027 before the four-month knockout phase starts in February. The Final will take place on June 5, 2027. Including qualifying rounds, this year’s UEFA Champions League will feature 81 teams from 53 UEFA member countries.

Today, we have a big match between Bayern Munich and Arsenal. Want to watch for free? Here’s how to tune in.

When Is the Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal Match?

Today’s UEFA Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Arsenal will kick off today at 3 p.m ET on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

How to Watch the Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal Match in the US

In the US, all of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League games will stream live on Paramount+, with select high-profile games also airing on CBS and CBS Sports Network. If you’d like to follow the games in Spanish, you can launch TUDN, UniMas, Univision, and ViX—all of which will be streaming select games each match week.

How to Watch Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal Online for Free

Today’s Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Arsenal will air for free on RTE Player in Ireland.

For today’s game, you can check out RTE Player. The platform is geo-restricted to users in Ireland, but you may be able to access it using a virtual private network (VPN). Our preferred service is Express VPN. With server locations around the world, ExpressVPN is a good choice for obfuscating your actual location and accessing region-locked content.

Follow these steps to stream the Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal UCL game for free with a VPN:

• Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN).

• Download the VPN app on your preferred device.

• Connect to a server in Ireland.

• Visit RTE Player, create an account, and start streaming.

Note: If asked for a postal code during sign-up, enter one matching your VPN server’s location to avoid disruptions.

The best VPN services that let you pick a preferred server location aren’t usually free. Many of these services, however, offer free trials for first-time users. If you can take advantage of that, you’ll be able to stream the Champions League game between Bayern Munich and Arsenal for free.

Another Way to Watch Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal for Free

Don’t want to use a VPN? In the US, you may be able to watch this match for free by signing up for a free streaming trial from DirecTV, FuboTV, or YouTube TV. Paramount+ does not offer a free trial directly, but there are two workarounds. You can sign up for a free Amazon Prime 7-day trial with Paramount+ to catch the match for free. A Walmart+ subscription service allows you to choose Paramount+ as a bundled streamer, offering a 30-day trial for just $1. It might not be free, but it’s close.

The 2026–27 UEFA Champions League Schedule

The tournament’s league phase started on September 8 and will continue over eight matchdays across five months. The competition runs through January 27, 2027, before moving to the knockout phase in February. Below are the league’s matches for Matchday 3:

• Tuesday, October 20

  • Fenerbahçe vs. Slavia Praha @ 12:45 p.m. ET

  • Sabah vs. B. Dortmund 12:45 p.m. ET

  • PSG vs. Barcelona @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Liverpool vs. Villarreal @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Manchester City vs. AEK Athens @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Roma vs. S. Bratislava @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Porto vs. PSV @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Napoli vs. Bodø/Glimt @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Stuttgart vs. Atleti @ 3:00 p.m. ET

• Wednesday, October 21

  • Lille vs. Galatasaray @ 12:45 p.m. ET

  • Como vs. Manchester United @ 12:45 p.m. ET

  • Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Real Madrid vs. Leipzig @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Inter vs. Shakhtar @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Sporting CP vs. LASK @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Aston Villa vs. Viking @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Club Brugge vs. Lens @ 3:00 p.m. ET

  • Real Betis vs. Feyenoord @ 3:00 p.m. ET

Where Can You Stream the UEFA Champions League in the US?

Looking to tune in this season? CBS holds broadcasting rights in the United States through the 2029-30 season. That means most matches will be on Paramount+, but some will also be broadcast on CBS and CBS Sports Network. To tune in to these matches, you’ll need a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service. Separately, the Spanish-language broadcast rights are held by TelevisaUnivision and will be on TUDN. Here’s how to watch:

• DAZN: You can watch UEFA Champions League matches by subscribing to DAZN Standard for $25 per month or Ultimate for $50 per month.

• DirecTV: DirecTV’s $90-per-month Entertainment package includes CBS, but you’ll need the $125 Ultimate tier to access CBS Sports Network. TUDN can be purchased as an add-on or is included with Ultimate.

• Fubo: Fuco’s $65-per-month Sports plan includes access to CBS and CBS Sports Networks.

• Hulu + Live TV: For $90 per month, you get CBS, CBS Sports Networks, and TUDN.

• Paramount+: The primary platform for watching the UEFA Champions League matches is Paramount+, which can be had for as low as $8.99 per month.

• YouTube TV: Though the standard plan for YouTube TV costs $83 per month, you can pay for the cheaper $65 Sports package to get CBS, CBS Sports Network, and TUDN.

How to Watch UEFA Champions League Games for Free

You can tune in to select UEFA Champions League games for free by signing up for a video streaming trial. These trials typically only last a few days, so make sure to time your sign-up correctly so you can watch the game you want for no extra cost.

While Paramount+ no longer offers a free trial, there are two workarounds. You can sign up through Amazon Prime to receive a 7-day trial. Additionally, Walmart+ allows you to pay $1 for a 30-day trial, and you can choose Paramount+ as part of the subscription package. It’s not free, but it’s certainly better than paying full price!

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Which Teams Will Compete in the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League?

The league phase of the UEFA Champions League includes 36 teams. Following the qualifying and play-off rounds, seven clubs survived to join the 29 squads that qualified in advance. Among them are five teams from England and Spain; four teams from Germany and Italy; three teams from France; and two teams from the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Turkiye. Here’s a breakdown of all the clubs participating this year:

• England: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool

• Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Real Betis

• Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart

• Italy: Inter Milan, Napoli, Roma, Como

• France: Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille

• Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord

• Norway: FK Bodø/Glimt, Viking FK

• Portugal: FC Porto, Sporting Lisbon

• Turkiye: Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe

• Austria: LASK

• Azerbaijan: Sabah FK

• Belgium: Club Brugge

• Greece: AEK Athens

• Czechia: Slavia Prague

• Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk

• Slovakia: ŠK Slovan Bratislava

Upgrade Your Streaming Experience

If you decide to watch the UEFA Champions League, there’s still time to get a big-screen television for viewing this beautiful game. Pro tip: Turn on your TV’s motion-smoothing option for the best picture while watching sports. Just remember to turn it off before watching other TV shows and movies to avoid the awful “soap opera” effect.

About Our Expert

Jason Cohen

Senior Editor

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Experience

As PCMag’s editor of how to content, I have to cover a wide variety of topics and also make our stories accessible to everyday users. Considering my history as a technical writer, copywriter, and all-around freelancer covering baseball, comics, and more at various outlets, I am used to making myself into an expert.

I believe tech corporations are bad, but you might as well know how to use technology in everyday life. Want more how to content delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for the tips and tricks newsletter that I curate three times a week.

My job as how-to guru means I use just about every gadget under the sun, so I can figure out how everything works. I work from a Lenovo ThinkPad running Windows 11, but also have a very large Dell Inspiron 17 3000 and Apple silicon MacBook. I have a Google Pixel 6a for personal use and use a Galaxy Z Flip 4 for additional Samsung-related testing. For iOS coverage, an iPhone 13 mini works like a charm, though it’s already becoming a little long in the tooth.

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