When to watch Real Madrid vs. Benfica

• Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT).

Where to watch

• Real Madrid vs. Benfica will air in the US on Paramount Plus.

Real Madrid has a one-goal advantage to protect on Wednesday as it hosts José Mourinho's Benfica in the second leg of this contentious UEFA Champions League knockout playoff.

Last week's bitterly controversial first encounter in Lisbon saw Alvaro Arbeloa's men claim a 1-0 win thanks to a sensational second-half strike from Vinícius Júnior. The match stopped for eight minutes, moments later, when French referee François Letexier activated the anti-racism protocol due to racist insults allegedly directed at the goalscorer by a Benfica player, Gianluca Prestianni, who was subsequently banned for this match. Bottles were also thrown from the crowd.

The visitors come into this match off the back of a dominant 3-0 win over AVS at the weekend in Liga Portugal, while Real Madrid lost ground in the Spanish Primera División title race after crashing to a shock 2-1 away defeat to Osasuna on Saturday.

Real Madrid takes on Benfica at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid on Wednesday, Feb. 25. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CET local time in Spain, making it a 3 p.m. ET or 12 p.m. PT start in the US, an 8 p.m. GMT kickoff in the UK and a 7 a.m. AEDT kickoff in Australia on Thursday.

Livestream Real Madrid vs. Benfica in the US without cable

American soccer fans can stream this game along with every game of this season's tournament via Paramount Plus, which has exclusive live English-language broadcast rights in the US for the UEFA Champions League. 

This season introduces a multiview option that lets you watch up to four matches simultaneously and choose your preferred in-game audio. 

Paramount Plus has two main subscription plans in the US: Essential for $8 a month and Premium for $13 a month. Both offer coverage of the Champions League.

The cheaper Essential option has ads for on-demand streaming and lacks live CBS feeds as well as the ability to download shows to watch offline later. Newcomers to the service can take advantage of a 30-day free trial, while students may qualify for a 25% discount.

Read our Paramount Plus review.

How to watch every UEFA Champions League 2025-26 game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally due to incorrectly applied blackout restrictions, you may need a different way to watch the game, and that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's a great idea when you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, or when you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.  

With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So, if your internet provider or mobile carrier has assigned you an IP address that incorrectly indicates your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can resolve this issue by providing you with an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.  

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US and Canada, as long as you've got a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should ensure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks. Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.  

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.  

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ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. Prices start at $3.49 a month on a two-year plan for the service's Basic tier.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Livestream Real Madrid vs. Benfica in the UK

TNT Sports will broadcast the majority of Champions League games in the UK this season, and this match will be shown live on TNT Sports 1.       

TNT Sports is exclusively streaming the majority of Champions League matches live this season to viewers in the UK. You can access TNT Sports in several ways, including via Sky Q as a TV package or direct streaming from its range of mobile and smart TV apps. It costs £31 either way and comes in a package that includes the Discovery Plus library of documentary content.

Livestream Real Madrid vs. Benfica in Canada

If you want to stream Champions League games live in Canada, you'll need to subscribe to DAZN Canada. The service has exclusive broadcast rights to every match this season, including this one.

A DAZN subscription currently costs CA$35 a month or CA$250 a year and will also give you access to Europa League and EFL Championship soccer, Six Nations rugby and WTA tennis.

As well as dedicated apps for iOS and Android, there's a wide range of support for set-top boxes and smart TVs.

Livestream Real Madrid vs. Benfica in Australia

Soccer fans Down Under can watch UCL games on streaming service Stan Sport, which once again has exclusive rights to show all Champions League matches live in Australia this season.

Stan Sport will set you back AU$20 a month (on top of a Stan subscription, which starts at AU$12). It's also worth noting that the streaming service is currently offering a seven-day free trial.

A subscription will also give you access to Premier League and Europa League action, as well as international rugby and Formula E.