Chelsea have never played an Irish side in their long history, but all that's about to change on Thursday as they host Shamrock Rovers in the UEFA Conference League. Here, we bring you all the details on how to watch Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers live streams, on TV, and from anywhere with a VPN.
• Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024
• Kick-off time: 8.00pm GMT / 3pm ET
• Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
• TV channels: TNT Sports, Discovery+ (UK) / Paramount+ (US)
• Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN risk-free
In one of the most eye-catching fixtures in the UEFA Conference League, Shamrock Rovers, a small outfit from Dublin, travel to Stamford Bridge to face the tournament favourites, Chelsea.
Chelsea have played plenty of friendlies and testimonials against Irish sides, including Shamrock Rovers, but never before in a competitive fixture. They'll be fancied to make it a winning start on that front, given their form in all competitions this season and the depth of their squad.
Don't right Rovers off, though. Like the leaders Chelsea, they are unbeaten in the Conference League this season, sitting in sixth place but only four points off top spot. There'll be no shortage of motivation, either, for this rare clash with a team across the water in the British Isles.
Read on for all the details on how to watch Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers online, on TV, and wherever your are in the world.
Watch Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers in the UK
In the UK, TNT Sports has the TV rights to UEFA Conference League football, with a Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers live stream on Discovery+.
On TV, the channel you need is TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7.30pm ahead of the 8pm kick-off. If you don't have it already, you'll need to add TNT Sports to your existing TV package - prices vary by provider.
If you want to stream the game online, Discovery+ is the online home of TNT Sports, and specifically the Discovery+ Premium plan, which comes at a cost of £30.99 a month.
That's a hefty investment, but you do get a lot of European football, including all the the Champions League live streams.
Watch Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers in Ireland
Fans in Ireland have two options for watching their representatives Shamrock Rovers in action. TNT Sports and Discovery+ will be showing the game in the same way as the UK, as set out above.
The second option is Premier Sports, which has rights to various football competitions. Premier Sports can be added to your TV package with Sky or Virgin Media - prices vary by provider – or it can be streamed through Now TV.
Watch Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers in the US
Paramount+ is the home of European soccer in the US, and that's where you can find a Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers live stream.
Paramount+ comes in at $7.99 a month for the Essential package - or an even-lower rate of $59.99 for a whole year. You could even remove adverts and add thousands of movies and TV episodes for $12.99 per month or $119.99 per year.
What's more, both plans currently have a one-week free trial, so you could in theory watch the Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers live stream for free.
Away from the US right now? You can still access your Paramount+ subscription by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.
Watch Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers cheaply in Ukraine
There are no dedicated broadcasters offering free-to-air coverage of Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers but there is one cheap option, albeit a niche one.
Megogo in Ukraine has a number of sports rights and will have a Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers live stream. A monthly subscription costs UAH239 right now - or £4.50, and you get your first 10 days even cheaper than that.
Coverage is geo-restricted to Ukraine, meaning those who'd usually watch who are travelling outside the country would need to use a VPN – more on that below.
Where else can I watch Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers
Canada: DAZN
Australia: Stan Sport
New Zealand: DAZN
How to watch Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers from anywhere
What if you're away from home for the game, and your usual streaming service is geo-restricted? Well, there is a neat solution. A VPN - or Virtual Private Network - is a piece of software that sets your IP address to make your device appear to be in any country in the world.
Provided it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, you can use a VPN to unblock the streaming services you subscribe to, and it also comes with added internet security benefits.
FourFourTwo’s colleagues TechRadar are experts in this field, and they reckon NordVPN is the best VPN provider on the market.
