How to watch Real Madrid in the US in Spanish
In Spanish in the US you can watch these matches via streaming on ESPN+. The cheapest route is the free over-the-air channels; paid cable and streaming add full coverage.
If you are a Real Madrid fan living in the United States, you belong to one of the biggest fan bases in the world, because the white club has a massive following among Hispanic fans in this country. The good news is that you can almost always watch Madrid in Spanish.
The tricky part is that the team's matches are split across two different competitions, LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League, and each one airs on different platforms.
That means the channel where you watch a league match is not always the same one where you will find a Champions League match, and understanding that difference is the key to never missing a game.
This guide is built specifically for following Real Madrid from the US, in Spanish, no matter the competition.
We explain who broadcasts the LaLiga matches, who broadcasts the Champions League matches, what you can watch for free and what requires a paid subscription, how to follow the team without cable, and how the calendar works across the season.
We also walk through the matches that matter most, like El Clasico against Barcelona and the Madrid derby against Atletico. If you want something broader, we have a complete LaLiga guide and a Champions League guide, but here we focus entirely on what you need as a Madrid fan.
Where to watch in Spanish
| Service | Language | Cost | What you get | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESPN Deportes | Español | Cable | Spanish-language cable, select matches. | Watch → |
| ESPN+ | Español | Subscription | Streaming with every match. | Watch → |
To watch Real Madrid in Spanish in the United States, the first thing to understand is that the team plays in two main competitions and each one lives on different platforms. On one side is LaLiga, the Spanish league.
On the other is the UEFA Champions League, the most important club tournament in Europe, where Madrid is the historic king. Let's break it down so you know exactly where to look for each match.
Real Madrid's LaLiga matches are broadcast in Spanish through ESPN. On cable, the Spanish-language channel is ESPN Deportes, which airs a selection of Spanish league matches. For streaming, the ESPN+ platform carries absolutely every LaLiga match, and many of them offer a Spanish-language commentary option.
This matters: ESPN+ is the most reliable way to watch each and every one of Madrid's league matches, because not every game airs on the ESPN Deportes cable channel.
For the Spanish league, there is essentially no free over-the-air option in Spanish, so to watch Madrid in LaLiga you will need paid ESPN+ or cable with ESPN Deportes.
Real Madrid's Champions League matches work very differently, because those rights are split between two groups. On one side, TelevisaUnivision broadcasts part of the Champions League through Univision, UniMas, Galavision, TUDN, and its ViX platform. On the other side, DAZN also broadcasts Champions League matches.
That means, depending on the match, Madrid's European game can be on a Univision network or on DAZN, and it is not always in the same place from one matchday to the next.
Within TelevisaUnivision's coverage there is a detail that is very valuable for fans: some Champions League matches air free over the air on Univision or UniMas. That means certain Madrid games in Europe can be watched with a simple antenna, without paying anything.
Other matches, however, require the paid ViX Premium subscription, so not every Champions League game lands over the air.
DAZN, for its part, is a paid streaming platform that also carries Champions League matches. To watch absolutely all of Real Madrid's Champions League run across a season, you may need to combine ViX and DAZN, because together they cover the split of European matches.
So in short: for LaLiga think ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes, and for the Champions League think Univision, UniMas, Galavision, TUDN, ViX, and DAZN.
Free vs paid
The big question for many Madrid fans is how much they will have to spend to follow their team. The honest answer is that it depends a lot on which competition you want to watch, because LaLiga and the Champions League work differently when it comes to what is free and what is paid.
Let's start with LaLiga, and here it pays to be clear: in Spanish, Real Madrid's league matches are paid. There is essentially no free over-the-air option to watch the Spanish league in Spanish in the United States. To watch Madrid in LaLiga you need ESPN+, which is paid streaming, or cable that includes ESPN Deportes.
If your priority is to follow every league match, ESPN+ is the most complete option because it carries all the games, while the ESPN Deportes cable channel airs only a selection. There is no way around it: for the league, you will have to pay one way or another.
The Champions League is where the good news shows up. Some of Madrid's Champions League matches air free over the air on Univision or UniMas, which means with an antenna you can watch certain European games without paying a single dollar.
These tend to be the higher-profile matches, so it is worth checking the schedule each Champions League week to see which ones land over the air. However, not every Champions League match is free.
The rest requires ViX Premium or DAZN, which are paid subscriptions, and to see all of Madrid's run in Europe you will likely need both.
So how do you handle it? If you only care about the big Champions League matches, an antenna for Univision and UniMas can give you several games for free.
But if you want to watch Real Madrid in absolutely everything, both in the league and in Europe, the realistic move is to combine ESPN+ for LaLiga with ViX Premium and DAZN for the Champions League.
To save money, start with the free Champions League games on an antenna and add the paid subscriptions based on how many matches you feel you are missing.
How to watch without cable
More and more Madrid fans in the United States do not have cable and still follow Real Madrid without a problem. The key is using streaming apps, because between them you can cover both the LaLiga matches and the Champions League matches, which are the team's two main competitions.
For the league matches, the essential tool is the ESPN+ app. Since ESPN+ carries every LaLiga match, many with a Spanish commentary option, downloading the app gives you direct access to each of Madrid's league games without needing a cable package.
You pay a monthly streaming subscription instead of a cable bill, which is usually cheaper and more flexible.
For the Champions League matches you need two more apps. The first is the ViX app, which carries the portion of the Champions League controlled by TelevisaUnivision, including the exclusive games that require ViX Premium. The second is the DAZN app, which carries the other portion of the European matches.
With these two apps you cover the Champions League split, and if you also set up an antenna to catch Univision and UniMas, you can grab the Champions League matches that air over the air for free.
The best part is that all of these apps run on devices you probably already have at home. You can watch Real Madrid on Roku, on Fire TV or Fire Stick, on Apple TV, on Google TV, on your phone, and on most smart TVs.
You just download the app, sign in, and you are ready. The most complete cable-free setup for a Madrid fan combines ESPN+ for LaLiga, ViX and DAZN for the Champions League, and an antenna for the free European matches. Our LaLiga guide and our Champions League guide explain each streaming service in more detail.
Season, schedule and format
To follow Real Madrid well, it helps to understand how its calendar works, because the team does not play just one tournament but several throughout the year, and each one has its own rhythm. The two competitions you will follow most are LaLiga and the Champions League, but Madrid also plays in other tournaments.
LaLiga, the Spanish league, runs from August to May and consists of 38 matchdays. That means for almost the entire season you will have Madrid league matches, usually one per week, mostly on weekends though sometimes midweek.
Each of those 38 matchdays is a chance to watch the team, and since ESPN+ carries every match, there is no reason to miss any of them if you have the subscription.
The Champions League runs in parallel, roughly from September until late May or early June. These matches usually take place midweek, on different days from the league, so they do not clash with the LaLiga calendar and you can follow both competitions.
The Champions League is where Real Madrid shines in a special way, because it is the most successful club in European history, with the record number of Champions League titles, so its European nights are among the most anticipated of the year.
In addition to LaLiga and the Champions League, Real Madrid typically competes in the Copa del Rey, the Spanish cup tournament, and in the Club World Cup.
That means the team is active practically all year long and that, depending on the point in the season, its matches can belong to different competitions on different platforms.
That is why it is worth checking each week which tournament Madrid is playing and where it airs, because the answer changes depending on whether it is a league match, a Champions League match, or a cup match.
Key teams and what to watch for
What makes following Real Madrid unforgettable are its big matches and rivalries, because the white club is no ordinary team: it is the most successful in European history, with the record number of Champions League titles.
Madrid plays its home games at the Santiago Bernabeu, one of the most legendary stadiums in the world, and every time it hosts a great rival the match becomes a global event.
The biggest match is El Clasico, Real Madrid against Barcelona. It is, quite simply, the biggest club game in the world, a clash that stops millions of fans across the planet and that generates enormous anticipation among Hispanic fans in the United States.
When Madrid and Barça meet in LaLiga, the atmosphere is electric, and it is worth marking the date in advance to know which platform it will be on. We have a dedicated Barcelona guide that covers the other side of this historic rivalry.
The second major matchup is the Madrid derby, Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid. It is the derby of the Spanish capital, a match charged with tension between two clubs from the same city that always brings intensity and plenty of attention.
For the Madrid fan, the derby is one of those matches you cannot miss, because the local rivalry adds a special flavor to every meeting.
Beyond the league rivalries, the Champions League nights against the giants of Europe are an essential part of Real Madrid's identity.
As the club with the most titles in the tournament, every European tie for Madrid is lived as an event, and the clashes against other continental powers tend to be among the most watched matches of the season.
For the Madrid fan in the United States, knowing these key matches helps you anticipate when to expect a top-importance game and plan which platform to watch it on, whether ESPN+ for the league or Univision, ViX, and DAZN for Europe.
Watching from outside the US
This guide focuses on how to watch Real Madrid in Spanish from the United States, but it is worth briefly mentioning that the situation changes in other countries.
The broadcast rights for LaLiga and the Champions League are split differently depending on the country, so the channels and platforms you use in the United States are not the same ones you would find elsewhere in the world.
If you travel or live outside the United States, the options for watching Madrid depend on each market's local broadcast deals.
The important thing for you, as a fan in the United States, is that your path to watching the team runs through ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes for LaLiga, and through Univision, UniMas, Galavision, TUDN, ViX, and DAZN for the Champions League, just as we explain throughout this guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch Real Madrid in Spanish in the United States?+
It depends on the competition. Real Madrid's LaLiga matches air in Spanish on ESPN+, which carries every game, and on the ESPN Deportes cable channel, which airs a selection. The Champions League matches are split between Univision, UniMas, Galavision, TUDN, and ViX on one side, and DAZN on the other. Understanding this division is the key to never missing a match.
Can I watch Real Madrid for free?+
Only partly. In LaLiga, there is essentially no free option in Spanish, so you need paid ESPN+ or cable with ESPN Deportes. In the Champions League, some matches do air free over the air on Univision or UniMas, so with an antenna you can watch certain European games without paying. The rest of the Champions League requires ViX Premium or DAZN.
How do I watch Real Madrid's LaLiga matches?+
To watch Madrid in LaLiga you need ESPN+ or ESPN Deportes. ESPN+ is the most complete option because it carries absolutely every Spanish league match, many with a Spanish commentary option. The ESPN Deportes cable channel airs only a selection of matches, so if you want to watch every league game, ESPN+ is the safest way.
How do I watch Real Madrid's Champions League matches?+
Madrid's Champions League matches are split between two groups. TelevisaUnivision broadcasts them on Univision, UniMas, Galavision, TUDN, and ViX, while DAZN carries the other portion. To watch the team's entire run in Europe across a season, you may need to combine ViX and DAZN, since together they cover the split of matches.
Do I need ESPN+ and also ViX and DAZN to watch Real Madrid?+
If you want to watch Madrid in all its competitions, you will likely need several platforms. ESPN+ covers LaLiga, while the Champions League is split between the Univision networks, ViX, and DAZN. It is not a single subscription that gives you everything, but a combination depending on which competition you want to follow.
Do any Real Madrid matches air over the air?+
Yes, but only in the Champions League. Some of Madrid's Champions League matches air free over the air on Univision or UniMas, so with an antenna you can watch certain European games without paying. In LaLiga, by contrast, there is essentially no free option in Spanish, so the league requires ESPN+ or ESPN Deportes.
How do I watch Real Madrid without cable?+
You can follow Madrid without cable using streaming apps. For LaLiga, the ESPN+ app gives you every match. For the Champions League, you combine the ViX app with the DAZN app. If you also use an antenna to catch Univision and UniMas, you grab the Champions League matches that air over the air for free, all without a traditional cable package.
What devices can I use to watch Real Madrid's matches?+
The ESPN+, ViX, and DAZN apps run on Roku, Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Google TV, phones, and most smart TVs. You just download the relevant app, sign in, and you can watch Madrid's matches from whichever device you prefer. This makes it very easy to follow the team without cable.
Where can I watch El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona?+
The LaLiga Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona airs in Spanish on ESPN+, which carries every Spanish league match, and may also appear on the ESPN Deportes cable channel. Since it is the biggest club game in the world, it is worth checking the schedule in advance to confirm the exact platform so you do not miss it.
When does Real Madrid play during the season?+
LaLiga is played from August to May across 38 matchdays, usually with one match per week. The Champions League runs in parallel from September until late May or early June, generally midweek. In addition, Madrid usually competes in the Copa del Rey and the Club World Cup, so it is active practically all year long.
What are Real Madrid's main rivalries?+
The biggest rivalry is El Clasico against Barcelona, the most important club game in the world. There is also the Madrid derby against Atletico Madrid, the derby of the Spanish capital. These are the matches that generate the most anticipation and the ones worth marking on your calendar so you know which platform to watch them on.
Why is Real Madrid so important in the Champions League?+
Real Madrid is the most successful club in European history and holds the record number of Champions League titles. That turns each of its European nights into a global event and makes its ties among the most watched matches of the season. Because of its history, Madrid's games in Europe always generate enormous attention among fans.
Where does Real Madrid play its home games?+
Real Madrid plays its home games at the Santiago Bernabeu, one of the most legendary stadiums in the world of soccer. There it plays its LaLiga, Champions League, and other matches when it is at home. To watch them in the United States, you turn to ESPN+ for the league and to Univision, ViX, or DAZN for the Champions League.
Mariana Delgado is a bilingual football writer based in Los Angeles. She covers where and how to watch soccer in Spanish in the US, with a focus on the World Cup, Liga MX and Europe's top leagues, helping fans never miss their team.
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