Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream: how to watch the FA Community Shield in 4K

Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream: how to watch the FA Community Shield in 4K
(Image credit: Wembley Stadium)

Only four weeks on from lifting the FA Cup, Arsenal are back at Wembley to open the coming season as they face Premier League champions Liverpool in the FA Community Shield.

It is a devilishly quick turnaround for both teams, with the past domestic season having only just finished due to a 100-day recess during lockdown, but it does mean continued excitement for fans around the world.

BT Sport is where you'll find the game broadcast in the UK, both in HD and 4K Ultra HD resolution, while ESPN has rights to the FA Community Shield in the United States. Subscribers outside the country at the time of the game will need a VPN to access their live stream.

Kick-off is at 4.30pm BST, shortly after a first women's Community Shield since 2008 (12.30pm KO). But what will be a welcome boost for the women's game, finally being given equal billing for this season curtain raiser, might be overshadowed by disgruntlement at the timing of this match from their male counterparts.

"We've had two training sessions so you can imagine this game comes straight in the middle of our mini pre-season," says Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who won't be the only coach worried about his players burning out. "Obviously it's not an ideal moment to play in this final, but the players are motivated."

Both sides will at least have had their squads boosted by returning loan players – those such as William Saliba of Arsenal and Liverpool's Rhian Brewster – and the Community Shield might represent a chance to give younger players some game time at the home of football – and potentially lift some silverware.

Whatever the context, Arsenal vs Liverpool is a fixture that rarely disappoints in terms of entertainment on the pitch. And wherever you are on Saturday 29 August, we have you covered with a live stream in the best possible quality.

Watch the FA Community Shield from abroad using a VPN

Citizens away from home or stuck abroad will need a VPN to access services from their own country, paid for or otherwise. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access – even if you’re a national of the country streaming the game.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and the internet, such that the servers and services you’re accessing aren’t aware of what you’re doing. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. As a rule, we’d suggest a paid-for service such as ExpressVPN or NordVPN.

ExpressVPN three months free with a year-long plan

<a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2F%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"">ExpressVPN three months free with a year-long plan
You can get three months free when you sign up to a year-long plan, bringing VPN access to smart devices including the Amazon Fire TV Stick, laptops, TVs and both Android and iOS mobiles and tablets. Express also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Once you’ve made your choice, all you need to do is sign in to your VPN service through whichever device you’d like to use to watch the match. When prompted to select a server, you need to pick one which is based in the country whose content you’d like to access. Then navigate to the relevant video streaming app or website and you’re in.

You can find a list of worldwide broadcasters, here.

Watch the FA Community Shield in 4K in the UK

Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream: how to watch the FA Community Shield in 4K

(Image credit: BT Sport)

BT Sport is the only place to catch the FA Community Shield in the UK. It is available in HD on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Extra 1 (sans artificial crowd noise), while BT Sport Ultimate (channel 433) will broadcast it in 4K HDR at 50fps. And if you're hooked up specifically on the BT TV platform, it's also available in with Dolby Atmos sound.

Coverage begins at 4.00pm BST for a 4.30pm kick-off.

Want to access BT Sport Ultimate? For 4K sports on BT TV, it’s a case of upgrading or purchasing the Max 4K package, which will cost you £20 a month to add to an existing BT subscription, or £54.99 for the full shebang if you’re a new customer starting from scratch.

BT Sport Ultimate is not available on the Sky TV platform but anyone with an Xbox, PlayStation, Apple TV or a Samsung TV can watch the FA Cup final in 4K HDR using the BT Sport app with the BT Sport Monthly Pass for just £25. No contract required.

BT Sport Monthly Pass for £25 per month

<a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=3041&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bt.com%2Fsport%3Fs_intcid%3Dcon_intban_BTSportPortal_BTSportUltimateExplainer" data-link-merchant="bt.com"">BT Sport Monthly Pass for £25 per month
Enjoy the FA Cup final, Champions League, Premier League and more in 4K HDR, all contract-free through the BT Sport app on games consoles, Apple TV and Samsung TVs. You do not need to be a BT customer and can opt out at any time.

Those on Virgin Media will need the Virgin V6 box and a 4K TV to make sure they're getting the action at maximum resolution. With the basic Big Bundle, BT Sport is £18 per month but all five BT Sport channels, including Ultra HD, are included on the larger TV packages which start at £57 per month. More details on Virgin Media TV bundles.

BT Sport Collection on Virgin Media for £18 per month

<a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X1580230&xcust=hawk-custom-tracking&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fstore.virginmedia.com%2Fexisting-customer%2Fmy-offers%2Foffers&sref" data-link-merchant="SkimLinks - virginmedia.com"">BT Sport Collection on Virgin Media for £18 per month
The BT Sport Collection on Virgin Media is a £18 bolt-on, at the time of writing. It brings coverage of football, rugby, cricket, UFC and more, plus access to BT Sport Ultra HD for 4K viewing. You can cancel the subscription at any time.

Watch the FA Community Shield in the USA

Arsenal vs Liverpool live stream: how to watch the FA Community Shield in 4K

(Image credit: ESPN+)

ESPN and ESPN+ have the rights to show the FA Community Shield in the US, as well as a host of English Football League and FA Cup games. All matches will be available in English and Spanish.

You can sign up to ESPN+, the channel's online streaming service. It costs from $4.99 per month. 

Outside the US at the time of the game? No problem, ESPN subscribers can use a VPN, such as ExpressVPN, to access the live stream from anywhere on the world.

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