If you’ve spent any time scanning the TV guide after dinner, you know the frustration: half the night is gone before you realise that crucial match was on two hours ago. Tonight’s schedule has a bit of everything — FA Cup drama, Premier League stakes, and some unexpected free-to-air options — so there is actually a reasonable chance of finding something worth watching if you know where to look.
Premier League Coverage: Sky Sports · Champions League TV: Sky Sports · UK Football Listings: Live-FootballOnTV · Irish Sports TV: Entertainment.ie · BBC Football Fixtures: Scores & Fixtures
Quick snapshot
- Sky Sports carries Premier League and Scottish Premiership (Radio Times)
- BBC One broadcasts FA Cup semi-finals (Live Football On TV)
- TNT Sports covers both Premier League and FA Cup (Live Football On TV)
- Exact match selections for tonight’s evening kick-offs may shift post-publication (Radio Times)
- Whether HBO Max carries Chelsea v Leeds in the UK remains uncertain (Radio Times)
- Last-minute channel changes or additions after 4PM UTC are not reflected here (Radio Times)
- 12:30pm — Fulham v Aston Villa on TNT Sports 1 (Radio Times)
- 5:15pm — Man City v Southampton FA Cup on BBC One and TNT Sports 1 (Radio Times)
- 5:30pm — Arsenal v Newcastle United on Sky Sports Main Event (Radio Times)
- Sunday 26 April — Chelsea v Leeds FA Cup semi-final at 3pm on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max (Radio Times)
- Monday 27 April — Man Utd v Brentford Premier League at 8pm on Sky Sports Main Event (Radio Times)
- Weekend ahead — FA Cup semi-finals may reshape Premier League title race (Radio Times)
Below is a reference table of the main broadcasters carrying live football tonight across UK and Ireland.
| Channel or Service | What It Covers | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event | Premier League, Scottish Premiership (key evening games) | Sky Sports |
| Sky Sports Premier League | Premier League full match coverage | Sky Sports |
| Sky Sports Football | EFL Championship, Scottish clubs, Cup ties | Sky Sports |
| TNT Sports 1 | Premier League, FA Cup, international leagues | Radio Times |
| BBC One / iPlayer | FA Cup semi-finals, Cymru Premier | BBC Sport |
| ITV | Championship (select matches) | Live Football On TV |
| Sky Sports+ | EFL League One, League Two, WSL (multiple simultaneous feeds) | Radio Times |
| LOITV | League of Ireland Premier Division | Live Football On TV |
Which channel is showing football tonight?
Tonight’s prime-time slots belong to two competitions: the FA Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Southampton, and a Premier League encounter between Arsenal and Newcastle United. The spread across broadcasters means most viewers will need to choose which game to follow live.
Premier League channels
Sky Sports holds the primary rights for Premier League coverage in the UK. Tonight’s Arsenal v Newcastle United match kicks off at 5:30pm UK time on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League (Radio Times). TNT Sports also carries select Premier League fixtures, with Fulham v Aston Villa scheduled for 12:30pm on TNT Sports 1 (Radio Times). Sky Sports+ handles lower league games simultaneously, so Championship, League One and League Two matches share bandwidth on the same evening.
Champions League broadcasters
UEFA Champions League rights sit primarily with Sky Sports for UK viewers. While there is no Champions League fixture on tonight’s slate, the platform publishes a season guide and full match schedule through the Sky Sports website. Viewers looking for midweek Champions League ties should check Sky Sports Football for live coverage announcements.
Other leagues
The Scottish Premiership gets its share of airtime too. Celtic host Falkirk at 5:30pm on Sky Sports Football, while Hibs travel to Hearts on 26 April at 4:30pm on the same channel (Radio Times). The Women’s Super League rounds out the afternoon with Man City v Brighton at 12pm on Sky Sports Premier League and additional matches on WSL YouTube (Radio Times).
The pattern is straightforward: Sky Sports owns the Premier League and Scottish football, while TNT Sports picks up a mix of Premier League, FA Cup and international fixtures. For comprehensive listings, Live Football On TV aggregates channels and times in one place.
Where can I watch live football today?
Beyond the major networks, there are several dedicated resources that pull together today’s full fixture list with channel assignments and kick-off times.
UK TV guide
The most practical starting point is Where’s The Match, which updates its live TV schedule every few minutes. Live Football On TV takes a broader view, covering English, Scottish and Irish leagues in a single listing. Both sites are aggregator-style guides rather than broadcasters, so they do not add latency — they simply show what is on each channel.
Streaming options
Several bookmakers offer live streaming alongside their betting products. Radio Times notes that bet365 provides live streams for UK customers on mobile, tablet and desktop. These are typically conditional on account status and do not replace a TV subscription, but they can be useful for lower-tier matches not covered by mainstream broadcasters.
Free-to-air channels
BBC One remains the main free-to-air option for major cup ties. Tonight’s Man City v Southampton FA Cup semi-final airs on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and TNT Sports 1 — giving viewers a genuine choice between a public broadcaster and a subscription channel (Radio Times). ITV covers select Championship matches such as Coventry City v Wrexham on 26 April.
Live Football On TV describes its mission plainly: “We have schedules of live football on television from broadcasters including Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Premier Sports, BBC, ITV and more.”
For UK viewers without a Sky subscription, BBC One and TNT Sports 1 cover the two most consequential games tonight. The trade-off is that lower-league and simultaneous matches require either Sky Sports+ or a streaming alternative.
What’s on TV tonight in Ireland?
Irish viewers face a slightly different landscape. The Republic’s domestic league, the League of Ireland Premier Division, has its own dedicated streaming platform and occasional free-to-air slots.
Irish football channels
The League of Ireland Premier Division matches on 26 April at 19:45 — including Galway United v St Patrick’s Athletic — are available via LOITV (Live Football On TV). This is a subscription streaming service targeting Irish audiences and is the primary route for domestic league coverage. Premier Sports also carries Irish-interest matches such as Ireland XV v England A when those appear on the schedule.
GAA on BBC
BBC Sport covers GAA Live, which occasionally overlaps with football scheduling in the evening slots. The Cymru Premier, Wales’s top flight, appears on S4C, BBC iPlayer and S4C Online — matches like Colwyn Bay v Penybont at 13:00 are accessible across these platforms (Live Football On TV). For Irish sports TV listings, Entertainment.ie aggregates broadcast schedules in one place.
Premier Sports
Premier Sports holds rights to a range of European leagues including Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie. Tonight’s schedule does not feature these competitions, but the channel is worth checking for midweek Champions League and Europa League ties. For Irish viewers specifically, Premier Sports may carry exclusive Premier League matches that are not on standard Sky Sports in the Republic.
Radio Times summarises the broadcasting landscape: “The FA Cup semi-finals will disrupt the Premier League title race as Manchester City head to Wembley to face Championship side Southampton.”
Where can I watch the Champions League tonight?
There is no Champions League fixture on tonight’s schedule — the semi-finals have already concluded and the next round falls outside this evening’s window. However, the question of access matters for viewers planning ahead.
TV channels
Sky Sports holds the UK rights for UEFA Champions League coverage. When fixtures are active, matches appear on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event for high-profile ties. The Sky Sports official site publishes a season guide with broadcast times and channels for each round.
Season guide
The UEFA Champions League TV schedule is published by Sky Sports well in advance of match rounds. For viewers tracking future fixtures, Radio Times and Live Football On TV both maintain upcoming fixture lists with channel assignments.
Live coverage
Sky Sports Ultra HDR is available for select matches including high-profile Champions League ties. This premium format offers enhanced picture quality but requires compatible hardware. Most viewers on standard Sky Sports packages receive standard HD coverage for live matches.
The key takeaway for Champions League access: Sky Sports is the exclusive UK broadcaster. There is no free-to-air alternative for live coverage. Viewers wanting to follow the competition without a subscription should look at authorized streaming bundles or consider a Now TV day pass if available.
What channel is football on tonight free?
Free-to-air football is limited but not nonexistent. Tonight’s BBC One broadcast of Manchester City v Southampton is the standout free option for UK viewers.
Freeview and Freesat
BBC One is available via Freeview, Freesat, Virgin Media and Sky satellite without a subscription. The Man City v Southampton FA Cup semi-final at 5:15pm UK time is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, making it the most accessible premium fixture tonight (Radio Times). ITV is also free-to-air and covers select Championship matches — Coventry City v Wrexham on 26 April at 12pm is one such fixture on ITV and Sky Sports Football.
BBC options
BBC iPlayer extends BBC One coverage to connected devices without requiring a TV aerial. For viewers travelling or without stable aerial reception, iPlayer is a practical free route into live football. The platform also carries Cymru Premier matches via BBC Wales, offering an unexpected free option for Welsh league enthusiasts.
Public channels
S4C covers Welsh football through its own broadcast and online streams. The Cymru Premier match between Colwyn Bay and Penybont at 13:00 is available on S4C, BBC iPlayer and S4C Online (Live Football On TV). For Northern Ireland, BBC Northern Ireland carries some local fixtures through its regional iPlayer feed.
BBC Sport operates the official scores and fixtures page, providing match data alongside broadcast information for free.
Free-to-air football tonight is essentially the FA Cup semi-final on BBC One plus select Championship matches on ITV. The Premier League’s most-watched games — Arsenal v Newcastle, Celtic v Falkirk — require a Sky Sports or TNT Sports subscription. Viewers who want full coverage will need at least one subscription service.
Which channels broadcast Premier League tonight?
The Premier League’s UK broadcast rights are split between Sky Sports and TNT Sports, with neither holding exclusive rights to all fixtures.
Tonight’s split
Tonight’s two Premier League matches illustrate the split clearly. Fulham v Aston Villa at 12:30pm is on TNT Sports 1, while Arsenal v Newcastle United at 5:30pm is on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League (Radio Times). Man Utd v Brentford on 27 April at 8pm returns to Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League.
Multi-match viewing
Sky Sports+ carries multiple simultaneous lower league matches, which can create scheduling conflicts for viewers with a single TV. For example, the 12:30pm Championship window on 25 April includes Charlton Athletic v Hull City, Middlesbrough v Watford and West Brom v Ipswich Town — all on Sky Sports channels simultaneously (Live Football On TV). Sky Sports Ultra HDR is available for select high-profile fixtures like West Brom v Ipswich Town.
The simultaneous nature of lower-league coverage means fans wanting comprehensive access need either multiple subscriptions or acceptance of missing some games.
Related reading: Prem Table 24/25: Final Premier League Standings 2024/25 · Swansea vs Plymouth Argyle – 1-1 Draw, 5-3 Pens Win
Premier League and FA Cup action leads the lineup on Sky Sports and BBC, while the extensive evening schedule features twenty-three live fixtures across UK broadcasters.
Frequently asked questions
What football is live on Sky Sports today?
Tonight’s Sky Sports coverage includes Arsenal v Newcastle United Premier League at 5:30pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. Earlier in the day, Celtic v Falkirk Scottish Premiership is on Sky Sports Football at 5:30pm. Sky Sports+ also carries simultaneous EFL and WSL matches from 12:30pm.
Are there any free football matches on TV tonight?
Yes. Manchester City v Southampton FA Cup semi-final airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 5:15pm UK time — free-to-air without a subscription. ITV also covers select Championship matches on free-to-air, though none fall precisely tonight’s evening slot.
Which app shows live football schedules?
Where’s The Match and Live Football On TV both publish real-time TV schedules for UK and Ireland football. Sky Sports and BBC Sport apps provide broadcaster-specific listings and stream access for subscribers.
How do I find Irish league games on TV?
League of Ireland Premier Division matches appear on LOITV, a dedicated streaming platform for Irish domestic football. Entertainment.ie aggregates Irish sports TV listings across multiple broadcasters.
What time do Champions League games start?
Most Champions League matches kick off at either 8pm or 8:45pm UK time, depending on the round and venue. Sky Sports publishes the full season schedule on its website ahead of each match round.
Is NFL football on TV in the UK tonight?
The NFL regular season typically runs from September to January, with the Super Bowl in February. Tonight’s schedule does not feature NFL coverage, which would appear on Sky Sports NFL or NFL Game Pass if in season.
Where to check football TV changes?
Schedules change occasionally due to cup progression, police decisions or broadcasting requirements. Where’s The Match updates its listings every few minutes and is the most reliable source for last-minute changes.
For UK viewers who want every available option, the choice is fairly stark: a Sky Sports subscription unlocks the most comprehensive evening coverage, while BBC One and ITV provide a workable free alternative for the biggest fixtures. For Irish fans, LOITV is non-negotiable for domestic league action. The evening kicks off at 12:30pm and the real action — Man City v Southampton at 5:15pm — is on BBC One for anyone with an aerial.
Sophie Marlowe is Culture & Lifestyle Editor at TheUKDaily.uk, covering culture, entertainment, lifestyle, events, media trends and consumer features.