Arsenal are aiming to win the Champions League for the very first time when they meet PSG in Budapest on Saturday evening

10:43, 30 May 2026Updated 10:47, 30 May 2026

PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 7: (L-R) Vitinha of Paris Saint Germain, Bukayo Saka of Arsenal during the UEFA Champions League match between Paris Saint Germain v Arsenal at the Parc des Princes on May 7, 2025 in Paris France (Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Arsenal and PSG is not free-to-air(Image: 2024 Soccrates Images B.V.)

Virgin Media customers can watch Arsenal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday night at no extra cost. Following TNT Sports’ contentious announcement that the fixture would not be free-to-air or free-to-stream, the cable television provider will grant its TV subscribers access for free.

This means that those without an active HBO Max or TNT Sports subscription can still watch the match on Virgin. A dedicated HD pop-up channel, 526, has been activated to provide live coverage.

Viewers with a current TNT Sports subscription on Virgin Media can continue to access TNT Sports 1 via channel 521. Virgin also broadcast Aston Villa’s recent Europa League final victory as well as Crystal Palace’s Europa Conference League triumph.

In previous years, supporters could enjoy European finals free of charge. However, that has changed this year for the Budapest-based showdown in a divisive decision that prompted a last-minute appeal from the Prime Minister.

TNT, and their predecessor BT Sport, had previously broadcast the match for free every year since acquiring the television rights from ITV a decade ago. They initially did so by simultaneously streaming the final live on YouTube.

More recently, they made the coverage available free of charge on Discovery+. However, following the switch to HBO Max, that is no longer the case.

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Arsenal have reached the UEFA Champions League final where they face Paris Saint-Germain on May 30. Fans can watch the game without a TNT Sports subscription by signing up to the HBO Max Basic With Ads plan via Prime Video’s HBO Max channel.

The decision has proved deeply controversial and sparked something of an international debate. Sir Keir Starmer has urged TNT Sports to broadcast the Champions League final without charge. The Prime Minister has already written to the broadcaster, calling on them to make their coverage accessible to everyone.

Starmer spoke to talkSPORT about the matter, saying: “I just think it should be free, it’s always been free every year up to this year, and I say this not as an Arsenal fan, all fans want to watch the Champions League final.

“It’s a big event, it should be free, and that’s why I wrote to them to say ‘please make it free’, I renew that actually, I really do think they should do that, I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Starmer had previously stated in a post on X: “Football should bring people together, not shut them out. For the first time since the competition began, fans won’t be able to watch the Champions League final for free. That’s not right. This is bigger than wanting to watch Arsenal in this historic final. It’s bigger than one club.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 31: British Prime Minister Kier Starmer holds a roundtable meeting at Number 10 Downing Street on March 31, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is hosting a roundtable on adolescent safety with the creators of the television show 'Adolescence,' in discussion with charities and young people about issues raised in the show. The Netflix mini-series, created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantin, is a British crime drama about a 13-year-old boy accused of the murder of a female classmate, which delves into themes around misogyny and the impact of social media on young people. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Sir Kier Starmer has weighed in on the free-to-air debate(Image: Getty Images)

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“Hardworking people shouldn’t have to fork out for a subscription to watch this match. I urge TNT Sports to reconsider and make the final next Saturday free to watch.”

TNT Sports responded in a statement: “We have made all three UEFA finals this year available from just £4.99, the price for a month-long subscription to HBO Max.”

The clash between PSG and Arsenal will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, May 30. Kick-off is scheduled for 5pm UK time.