Sky Sports is the biggest single holder of live football rights in the UK. From the 2025/26 season onwards, the broadcaster carries 215 Premier League matches per season under the new four-year domestic TV deal that runs through 2028/29. That is a jump from 128 matches under the previous contract and covers every weekend of the league campaign plus the majority of midweek fixtures.
What football is on Sky Sports
Sky Sports has rights to several competitions that matter to football viewers in the UK and Ireland:
- Premier League — 215 live matches per season (2025/26 to 2028/29), including every 4:30pm Sunday and most midweek games
- EFL Championship, League One, League Two — extensive live coverage, typically 1,000+ matches per season across the three divisions plus the Carabao Cup
- Scottish Premiership — exclusive live rights through the 2029 deal with the SPFL, covering 60 matches per season
- WSL (Women’s Super League) — joint rights with the BBC, most big matches streamed live
- Spanish La Liga — full rights to every match through 2029, having taken coverage back from LaLigaTV
- Carabao Cup — all rounds through the final
Sky does not carry Champions League or Europa League in the UK. Those sit with TNT Sports.
Sky Sports packages and prices
The channels you want depend on how you watch. Sky has three distinct routes:
Sky TV + Sky Sports (via satellite or Sky Stream)
The traditional bundle route. Prices change, but as a rough guide for 2026:
- Sky Signature (the entertainment base pack) is required first, around £17/month on an 18-month contract
- Add Sky Sports on top: around £28/month for the full sports pack
Total: £45/month all in, on an 18-month commitment. Sky Stream removes the satellite dish requirement but needs decent broadband.
Now (contract-free, via any device)
Now is Sky’s streaming brand. You pay for Sky Sports content without committing to a long contract:
- Day pass: £14.99
- Month pass: £34.99/month
- Six-month pass: £25/month (paid as £150 upfront)
Now streams on Fire TV, Roku, smart TVs, games consoles, phones, tablets, and laptops. Picture quality tops out at 1080p with the Boost add-on for an extra £6/month. No 4K on Now.
Sky Glass
Sky’s own TV with no dish. Sports on top runs around £30/month plus the hardware cost. Worth it only if you want a new TV anyway.
Premier League matches on Sky breakdown
Under the 2025-2029 deal, Sky’s 215-match package breaks down roughly as:
- Saturday 12:30pm kick-offs (most weeks)
- Saturday 5:30pm kick-offs
- Sunday 2:00pm kick-offs
- Sunday 4:30pm kick-offs (the Super Sunday slot)
- Monday 8:00pm kick-offs
- Two full weekends of “all 10 matches live” per season
- The vast majority of midweek Champions League-week fixtures
TNT Sports still holds the Saturday 12:30pm slot in some weeks and has 52 total matches, including first-pick rounds in December. The 3:00pm Saturday blackout remains for UK viewers.
Streaming quality on Sky and Now
Sky’s traditional product (via dish, Stream, or Glass) delivers 4K Ultra HD on selected big Premier League matches, F1 races, and key boxing nights. You need a compatible TV and the Sky Q or Sky Stream box.
Now caps at 1080p. No 4K option exists for streaming-only customers, which is the main compromise if you skip the full Sky package.
How Sky compares to TNT Sports and Amazon
UK viewers who want everything typically end up with both Sky and TNT Sports:
- Sky Sports for Premier League (215 games), EFL, La Liga, F1, cricket, golf
- TNT Sports for Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Premier League (52 games), MotoGP, some boxing
- Amazon no longer has Premier League rights from 2024/25 onwards and carries no live UK football
Combined cost via Sky + TNT Sports Box Office or Discovery+ is around £60 to £75/month depending on contract type.
Free football alternatives
If you are looking for legal, free football in the UK:
- BBC iPlayer — Match of the Day highlights, FA Cup matches from the quarter-finals onwards, England internationals, Women’s Super League selected matches
- ITVX — FA Cup (shared with BBC), Europa League free-to-air final (shared with TNT), England qualifiers
- Amazon Prime Video — No longer has Premier League, but Prime membership includes other content
Pirate streaming sites sometimes branded as “Hesgoal” or similar are illegal in the UK. The Premier League actively pursues them and ISPs block known domains. Sky Sports Now passes are the cheapest legal path.
Sky Sports on mobile, tablet, and consoles
Sky Go (the companion app for Sky TV customers) and the Now app both work on:
- iOS and Android phones and tablets
- Fire TV sticks, Chromecast, Apple TV
- PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S
- LG, Samsung, Sony smart TVs
- Web browsers on Mac and Windows
Simultaneous streams are limited. Sky Go allows two concurrent streams on a main subscription. Now allows three.
Frequently asked questions
How many Premier League matches does Sky Sports show per season? 215 matches from 2025/26 onwards, up from 128 under the previous contract. The deal runs until the end of the 2028/29 season.
What is the cheapest way to get Sky Sports legally? The Now Month Membership at £34.99/month has no contract. The six-month pre-paid pass brings the effective monthly cost down to £25. A traditional Sky contract is cheaper monthly but locks you in for 18 months.
Does Sky show Champions League? No. Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League rights in the UK belong to TNT Sports through to the 2026/27 season.
Can I watch Sky Sports in 4K? Only through traditional Sky TV with a Sky Q or Sky Stream box and a 4K television. Now streaming is limited to 1080p.
Does Sky cover the Scottish Premiership? Yes. From 2024/25 Sky Sports is the exclusive broadcaster of 60 SPFL matches per season, plus cup rights.
Is Hesgoal a legal way to watch Sky Sports football? No. “Hesgoal” is a brand associated with illegal streaming. Sky Sports matches are only legal to watch through a Sky subscription, Now membership, or a licensed international broadcaster in your country.
Next steps
If Sky Sports is your main priority, compare a Now Month Pass against an 18-month Sky contract. If you also want Champions League and Europa League, look at our TNT Sports guide. For the full picture of Premier League rights, see the Premier League streaming guide.