How to watch AFL in USA and overseas in 2025

This year, the widely popular Australian Football League will commence from March 6 until late September 2025. The 129th season promises exciting matchups as 18 teams compete for the premiership flag in Australia's most beloved sporting competition.

While Australian fans can easily catch the action on Channel 7, Kayo, or Foxtel, international viewers face significant hurdles due to geo-restrictions. If you're in the USA or elsewhere overseas, you won’t be able to access Australian streaming services.

In this guide, I will cover your options to watch AFL in the USA or anywhere else overseas.

How to watch AFL in USA or overseas

1. WatchAFL - WatchAFL is the official international streaming service for AFL fans living outside Australia. It offers complete coverage of all AFL matches, including the Finals and Grand Final, plus the 24/7 FOX FOOTY channel. Subscription plans are flexible with options at $20 weekly, $39 monthly, or $181 for the full year. The service works on multiple devices and even allows downloading matches for offline viewing.
2. 7plus - For a free option, you can use a VPN to access 7plus, Australia's free streaming service. Simply connect to an Australian server through your VPN (Our most recommended VPN for streaming is NordVPN), create a 7plus account, and enjoy their AFL coverage. 7plus broadcasts at least three matches per week, including prime-time games, and covers all Finals matches including the Grand Final. The downside is that not all weekly matches are available live.
3. Kayo Sports + VPN - Kayo Sports offers complete AFL coverage with all nine matches weekly plus all Finals. To access Kayo from outside Australia, you'll need a VPN for Kayo connected to an Australian server plus a Kayo subscription. Plans start at AU$25 monthly for Standard (one stream) or AU$40 for Premium (two streams, 4K quality). New subscribers can try a 7-day free trial before committing.
4. Foxtel + VPN - Foxtel provides comprehensive AFL coverage, including exclusive access to most Saturday matches. Using a VPN with an Australian server, international viewers can subscribe to Foxtel's services. The Foxtel Plus and Sports Bundle costs approximately AU$103 monthly total, which includes Fox Footy channel with additional AFL content and analysis, making it the most expensive but feature-rich option.
5. Fox Sports Networks (US viewers) - US-based fans can watch AFL on Fox Soccer Plus (FSP), Fox Sports 2 (FS2), and occasionally Fox Sports 1 (FS1). FSP is the primary channel for AFL coverage, with subscription fees ranging from $5.99 to $14.99 monthly depending on your cable or satellite provider. Fox Soccer Plus requires cable.

Watch AFL with NordVPN

Why is VPN necessary to stream AFL games

Due to copyright laws and licensing agreements, most major Australian streaming service providers are geographically restricted. That means you must be in the geographical vicinity to stream the content. Otherwise, you will receive an error code like this one.

However, geographical restrictions are extremely unpopular among streaming service users. For example, a person from the UK that has subscribed to BT Sport, but is away from home for holidays or business trips, will not be able to access BT Sport streams.

Luckily, you can use a top-performing VPN to bypass geo-blocks and watch live streams in your native language. It's an effective and widely popular method among expats and frequent travelers who are also AFL fans!

3 Best VPNs to watch AFL online

We tested dozens of reputable VPNs to verify which ones work best for unlocking AFL streams from the USA. On our list, you will find the winners with enough high-speed servers in Australia to watch the games buffer-free. And they allow you to enjoy online security in the meantime.

Here are the three best options to watch AFL 2025 live.

1. NordVPN – best VPN for streaming AFL from USA overall
2. Surfshark – VPN to watch AFL on unlimited devices
3. IPVanish – user-friendly VPN that unlocks AFL streams

Important Dates in AFL Schedule 2025

The AFL has been held annually since 1896 and continues to attract a massive global audience. Below are key fixtures for the 2025 season:

Wrapping up

The 2025 AFL season looks like a blaster bringing 23 games for sports fans to enjoy. Moreso, you can watch it absolutely free this year by using the VPN services and subscribing to Australia's Channel 7.

We found NordVPN to be the most reliable for this task. Its 190+ Australian servers are lightning fast, the app is comfy, and it works well on multiple streaming devices. The essential cybersecurity features it provides are no less important, so you may want to keep using it even after the AFL season ends.

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