Since beIN Sports left the stage, Ligue 1+ is the only place that shows all nine Ligue 1 matches of every matchday in France. That’s simpler at home and more annoying abroad, because the platform is sold for the French market. Here’s how to keep watching your subscription when you travel, when you don’t even need a VPN, and which VPNs work best.
Who shows Ligue 1 in 2026/27?
For the 2026/27 season, the Ligue’s own platform, Ligue 1+, distributes every match in France. According to Selectra’s guide (updated August 2026), the main offer starts at €19.99 a month with a 12-month commitment, there’s a cheaper rate for under-26s, and the platform now also shows Ligue 3. You can subscribe directly or through Orange, SFR, Free, Bouygues Telecom, DAZN and Amazon Prime Video. Canal+ isn’t part of the distribution.
Outside France, Ligue 1 is sold country by country to local broadcasters. That’s the core of the problem: your Ligue 1+ account follows French rights, and abroad the rights belong to someone else.
When you don’t need a VPN: travelling in the EU
If you’re a French subscriber on a short stay in Spain, Italy, Belgium or anywhere else in the EU, you’re covered by the EU portability regulation. It requires paid online content services to let subscribers use their service while “temporarily present” in another member state, with the same catalogue as at home. Log in as usual and it should work.
The regulation doesn’t cover:
- countries outside the EU, including Switzerland, the UK, Morocco, the US and Canada
- long stays where you’re really living abroad
- free-to-air services that don’t verify your country of residence
That’s where a VPN comes in.
How to watch Ligue 1+ abroad with a VPN
- Pick a VPN with fast French servers (our picks below).
- Install it on the device you’ll watch on: phone, laptop, Fire TV Stick or smart TV.
- Connect to a server in France, ideally Paris.
- Clear the app’s cache or reinstall the Ligue 1+ app, so it forgets your previous location.
- Log in and start the match. If the stream refuses to load, switch to another French server.
Set this up the day before a big match, not ten minutes after kick-off. Streaming platforms detect VPN IPs in waves, and the best time to find a working server is when nothing is at stake.
The best VPNs for Ligue 1 in 2026/27
| VPN | Overall score | Streaming score | Speed | Devices | 1-year plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 4.63 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 10 | $68.85 |
| Surfshark | 4.08 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | Unlimited | $59.76 |
| ExpressVPN | 3.72 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 10 to 14 | $99.95 |
| ProtonVPN | 4.24 / 5 | 4 / 5 | 5 / 5 | 10 | $47.88 |
NordVPN: best overall for Ligue 1
NordVPN has the highest overall score in our table (4.63/5) and a 5/5 streaming score, with “Excellent” results across Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and BBC iPlayer in our data. It runs a large server network in France, speeds that handle 1080p sport without buffering, and apps for Fire TV and Android TV. For a football fan who travels outside the EU a few times a season, it’s the most reliable choice. Check NordVPN’s current price.
Surfshark: best value for match nights with friends
Surfshark scores 4.5/5 on streaming and allows unlimited devices, so everyone watching on their own phone can connect at once. The first year costs $59.76. It’s our pick if you want to keep costs down without dropping to a weak streaming VPN.
ExpressVPN: strong on streaming, expensive
ExpressVPN scores 5/5 on streaming and speed. Its overall score (3.72/5) is lower mainly because of transparency and ownership criteria, not performance. At $99.95 for the first year, it’s the priciest option here, so we’d only choose it if you already use it for other services.
ProtonVPN: privacy first, streaming second
ProtonVPN (4.24/5) has French servers and a solid “Very Good” rating on Netflix, but results on other platforms are more uneven. It’s the best choice if privacy matters to you beyond football. See ProtonVPN plans.
Want to compare all VPNs side by side? Check our full VPN comparison table with scores across 18 criteria.
Special case: French fans living in Switzerland or the UK
Two big French communities live just outside the EU’s portability rules. In Switzerland, Ligue 1 rights are sold to Swiss broadcasters, and a French Ligue 1+ account won’t open from a Swiss IP address. Cross-border workers who subscribe in France and live in Geneva or Basel are the typical case. In the UK, the same logic applies since Brexit: British IPs get the UK rights holder, not Ligue 1+.
In both cases, a VPN with fast French servers is the practical fix for people who already pay for a French subscription. If you’re in Switzerland, our best VPN for Switzerland guide covers the local picture, including Swiss TV and data retention.
How much data does a match use over a VPN?
A full match with pre-match and half-time shows lasts about two hours. HD video typically uses around 3 GB per hour, so plan on roughly 6 GB per match, a little more with VPN overhead. That’s fine on hotel fibre, but it adds up quickly on a mobile data plan abroad. If you watch on 4G or 5G roaming, lower the stream quality in the Ligue 1+ player or check that your plan’s EU or international data allowance can take it.
What about the Champions League and other competitions?
Ligue 1+ only covers Ligue 1 (and Ligue 3). French clubs’ European matches are sold separately, so a VPN won’t turn Ligue 1+ into an all-in-one pass. Our guide on watching the Champions League with a VPN covers the European side, and our sports streaming VPN guide lists the main platforms country by country.
Pirate streams: a bad idea, and now a VPN problem too
Some people use VPNs to reach illegal IPTV or pirate football sites. That’s illegal in France, and it’s increasingly risky for everyone else: French courts have ordered VPN providers to block pirate sports streams, as we covered in our article on French court orders against VPNs. Pirate sites are also one of the main sources of malware and payment scams. If you pay for Ligue 1+, use it. If you don’t, a VPN won’t make piracy safe.
Common Ligue 1+ problems with a VPN
“Content not available in your region.” The app still sees your old location. Log out, clear the cache, close the app and reconnect to a different French server before reopening it.
Buffering in the second half. Usually a busy server. Switch to another Paris server at half-time, or change protocol to WireGuard (NordLynx on NordVPN).
The TV app won’t work. Some smart TVs can’t run VPN apps. Use a Fire TV Stick or Android TV box with a VPN app, or set up the VPN on your router.
Payment rejected abroad. Subscribe before you leave. Ligue 1+ subscriptions and payment methods are tied to France, and a VPN doesn’t change that.
If you're a French Ligue 1+ subscriber travelling inside the EU, you probably don't need a VPN at all, thanks to EU portability. Outside the EU, NordVPN is the best VPN for Ligue 1 in 2026/27 (4.63/5 overall, 5/5 streaming). Surfshark is the cheaper alternative for groups, and ProtonVPN the best for privacy. Always use your own subscription, not pirate streams.