Watching Sport in Spain
Spain is the clearest case in Europe of a football market split down the middle. LaLiga's matches are divided between two pay services, the Champions League belongs to one of them alone, and Spanish law says one LaLiga match per matchday should be free — but the catalogue that would enforce that has never been signed off. Everything below follows from those three facts.
What changed, and what we could not confirm. The legal basis
moved: the old Ley 21/1997 was repealed by Ley 7/2010, and the current
framework is Ley 13/2022, articles 143–148. On the
consolidated text we last checked, no permanent catalogue had been
approved, which means the hard free-to-air duty is limited by a
transitional rule to two things — one LaLiga match per matchday, and the
Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina semi-finals and final — and only if a
free broadcaster actually wants them. Separately, DAZN's Spanish Formula 1
and MotoGP rights run to the end of 2026, and we could not verify who holds
them from 2027.
What you can watch free in Spain
There is less free football in Spain than the law's reputation suggests, but more than nothing. The pattern is one match per matchday rather than a league.
| What is free | Where |
|---|---|
| One LaLiga match per matchday | Teledeporte in the clear, under the January 2026 arrangement between DAZN and RTVE. This is the single most useful free football fact in Spain |
| One LaLiga match per matchday | DAZN's free tier, with free registration — the section DAZN calls "DAZN en abierto" |
| One match per round on DTT | Orange's free-to-air DTT channel carries Fútbol 1 with one match per round |
| RTVE Play and Teledeporte | Free public broadcaster sport: athletics, cycling, Olympics, selected football |
| Copa del Rey semi-finals and final | Protected by the transitional rule, if a free broadcaster takes them up |
One free tier that is not what it sounds like. Movistar Plus+ runs a permanent free plan at €0, but its own description covers entertainment programmes and first episodes of its originals. We could not verify that it carries any live sport, so treat it as an entertainment tier rather than a free football one.
The main services, and what they cost
| Service | Carries | From | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movistar Plus+ | Five LaLiga matches per matchday plus three exclusive matchdays, all UEFA club competitions exclusively in Spain, Copa del Rey, Formula 1, MotoGP, NBA, EuroLeague | The streaming plan "Cine, Series y Deportes" is €9.99/month with no minimum term, or €99.90 a year. The full football add-on, Fútbol Total, is €50/month on top of a Movistar base; bundles run from €67/month | No, but a free €0 entertainment tier |
| DAZN España | Five LaLiga matches per round plus the free match, the complete Premier League, Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa exclusively to 2027, Bundesliga, Formula 1 and MotoGP exclusively to the end of 2026, Liga Endesa, NBA, NFL, UFC. No Champions League | Plan Fútbol advertised at €14.99/month. DAZN does not publish its full tier structure on the Spanish landing page | No, but a permanent free section |
| Orange TV | Full LaLiga, Champions League, Copa del Rey, Premier League and Serie A, carried through Movistar and DAZN channels | Not published where we could read it | Not verified |
| Vodafone TV | Football through DAZN and Movistar channels | Not verified | Not verified |
| RTVE Play and Teledeporte | The free options above | Free | Not applicable |
Two negative findings worth stating. We found no LaLiga or Champions League rights with Amazon Prime Video Spain, and its sports catalogue generally is unverified. And Apple TV+ does not carry Formula 1 in Spain — Apple's five-year F1 deal is a United States exclusive, despite what a lot of coverage implies.
Who shows what
| Competition | Paid | Free |
|---|---|---|
| LaLiga | Split: Movistar has five matches per matchday and three exclusive matchdays; DAZN has five per round and the free match | One match per matchday on Teledeporte, and one on DAZN's free tier |
| LaLiga Hypermotion | Movistar carries all of it, inside the €9.99 streaming plan | None |
| Champions League | Movistar, exclusively in Spain. Orange resells it | None. The Champions League is not among the events the Spanish catalogue may even contain |
| Premier League | DAZN carries all of it; Movistar has one featured match per round | None |
| Serie A | DAZN exclusive to 2027 | None |
| Formula 1 and MotoGP | DAZN exclusive to the end of 2026 — after that, unverified | None |
| Copa del Rey | Movistar, with 55 exclusive matches | Semi-finals and final, if a free broadcaster takes them up |
The cheapest legal routes
- Free, and legitimately so. One LaLiga match per matchday on Teledeporte costs nothing and needs no account. DAZN's free tier adds another.
- Want one match a weekend plus a bit of Europe? Movistar's €9.99 streaming plan includes one LaLiga match per matchday, all of LaLiga Hypermotion, at least one Champions League match and one Premier League match per matchday, and two EuroLeague basketball games per round. Nothing else in Spain comes close on price.
- Want all the Premier League, or Serie A? DAZN at €14.99. Serie A in particular is exclusively DAZN's until 2027.
- Want the Champions League in full? You need Movistar, and the price depends on which base package you already have — the football add-on alone is €50/month.
- The honest caveat: because LaLiga is split, plenty of Spanish fans end up paying both Movistar and DAZN. Check which matches each one actually has before subscribing to either.
Can I watch LaLiga for free in Spain?
One match per matchday, yes — Teledeporte shows it in the clear under the 2026 DAZN-RTVE arrangement, and DAZN's free tier offers another match each matchday with free registration. The rest of the league is split between Movistar and DAZN.
Does DAZN have the Champions League in Spain?
No. DAZN's Spanish storefront does not list the Champions League. Movistar holds all UEFA club competitions exclusively in Spain, and Orange resells them. DAZN does carry the complete Premier League and Serie A, though.
Which matches must be free to air in Spain?
The law allows the catalogue to contain a longer list under Ley 13/2022 — the Olympics, Spain internationals, one LaLiga and one Liga F match per matchday, races held in Spain and more. In practice no permanent catalogue has been approved, so the enforceable duty narrows to one LaLiga match per matchday and the Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina semi-finals and final, and only if a free channel wants them.
Is there a free trial on Spanish sports streaming?
None advertised. Movistar Plus+ has no trial for its paid plans and DAZN's free section is a permanent free tier rather than a trial. The free tier is a genuinely useful substitute here, because it carries live LaLiga.
Who has Formula 1 in Spain after 2026?
We do not know. DAZN holds Spanish F1 and MotoGP rights to the end of 2026, and we could not verify who holds them from 2027. If F1 is the reason you are subscribing, check before you sign a long contract.
Where to go next
LaLiga coverage worldwide DAZN by country Free live streams Watching sport in Italy