The opening round of the UEFA Euros 2024 group stage concludes with Portugal vs Czech Republic at Red Bull Arena today, Tuesday, June 18, and we'll help you find a way to watch the game.
The game's elder stars have struggled to stamp their name on Euro 2024 so far, with a succession of youngsters catching the eye instead. Enter Cristiano Ronaldo, who'll become the first player to feature at six European Championships today. He's flanked by Rafael Leao at the tip of a Portugal 3-5-2, a formation mirrored by Ivan Hasek's Czech Republic, who are fielding Jan Kuchta alongside star man Patrik Schick.
Footie fans in the UK or New Zealand can watch all the Euros, including Portugal vs Czech Republic, for FREE on BBC iPlayer in the former and TVNZ in the latter. Don't worry if you're abroad when the games are taking place, because you can watch Euro 2024 live streams from anywhere with a VPN.
US: Fox (live TV streaming services)
UK: BBC One / BBC iPlayer (free)
AU: Optus Sport
NZ: TVNZ (free)
Stream abroad with a VPN
Man for man, the Portugal squad is unmatched, but the presence of Ronaldo is as much a blessing as it is a curse. Having been able to take things easy in the Saudi Pro League he looks relatively fresh, but his megastardom means that Goncalo Ramos, Leao, Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto are often left kicking their heels on the bench.
That serves to highlight the embarrassment of riches at Roberto Martinez's disposal, a situation none too dissimilar to the one he was in at Belgium, a tenure that will be remembered for persistent underachievement.
Czech national icon Hasek was parachuted in following the conclusion of qualifying, but he takes charge of a team in good health. They're unbeaten in seven, winning six of those (albeit against middling opposition), and in Schick he has a proven international goalscorer. The Bayer Leverkusen man was the joint-top marksman at the last Euros, an accolade he shared with Ronaldo.
With the Czechs likely to sit deep, it'll be up to the Portuguese to show why they're amongst the favorites — here's how to watch the Portugal vs Czech Republic UEFA Euros match online or on TV.
How to watch Portugal vs Czech Republic online and on TV in the UK
The BBC and ITV are sharing Euro matches between them, but the Portugal vs Czech Republic match will play on BBC One. Coverage begins at 7.35 pm BST / 2.35 pm ET but the match itself begins at 8 pm BST / 3 pm ET.
If you can't or won't be able to watch the match on broadcast TV, you can use the BBC's streaming service BBC iPlayer. This online service lets you stream from BBC's various channels over the internet, and we've got a guide on how to watch live TV on BBC iPlayer if you need any help.
BBC One is, of course, free to stream if you pay your licence fee. This includes BBC iPlayer.
How to watch Portugal vs Czech Republic online and on TV in the US
The rights to broadcast the Euros 2024 (and other UEFA matches) in the US falls to Fox, and its sports channels are showing many of the games in the tournament.
Portugal vs Czech Republic will air on Fox, with kick-off at 3 pm ET / 12 pm PT and coverage likely beginning slightly ahead of that.
To get yourself access to the three Fox channels showing all of the Euros matches, you can get a cable subscription or use a live TV streaming service that has them in its line-up.
Sling TV Blue, which costs $45 per month in Fox areas, DirecTV Entertainment which will set you back $69.99 per month and Fubo Pro at $79.99 per month have Fox and FS1, but no FS2.
For that you can look to Fubo's $89.99-per-month Elite tier, DirecTV's $114.99-per-month Ultimate package or YouTube TV's single $72.99-per-month plan.
How to watch Portugal vs Czech Republic in Australia
You'll have to subscribe to Optus Sport to watch Portugal vs Czech Republic and all the rest of the Euros matches, because Optus is the official broadcaster for the tournament in Australia.
You can access Optus Sports for $24.99 per month or $199 for an entire year's subscription. However if you're an Optus customer you can get a discounted monthly price at $6.99 each month.
How to watch Portugal vs Czech Republic in New Zealand
You won't need to pay to watch Portugal vs Czech Republic, or any of the other 2024 Euros matches, if you live in New Zealand.
That's because they'll all be shown on TVNZ, which hosts many football streams and has also built towards the event with a weekly show called Road to Euro 2024.
You can find TVNZ's football coverage here.
How to watch Portugal vs Czech Republic online everywhere else
If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch the Portugal vs Czech Republic match and the rest of the Euros, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite sports, shows, events or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at NordVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
