How to watch the ePremier League Invitational this week: the FIFA tournament with real players

Football fans have been pining for some form of action in the last few weeks and video games like FIFA have been pretty much the only way to itch that scratch. Trying to keep some form of league action going, however, the Premier League has gathered together (well, they'll be in their own homes) representatives of each current Premier League team to have an online FIFA tournament: the ePremier League Invitational. 20 stars, knockout round tournament FIFA? What's not to like?

It won't be quite the same - actually, very much nowhere near, not even a little bit the same - as regular football every week but at least its something. And if watching some of the Premier League's famous faces having banter with each other and FIFA-ing off all in the name of fun sounds like it's up your street then you'll need to know how to watch the premier League Invitational. Assuming the footballers' internet connections hold up, of course.

The tournament starts this week with the first batch of four games kicking off at Midday BST, Tuesday 21 April with the first 16 knockout games available to watch via YouTube, Facebook and the Premier League's website. The semi-finals and final however will be shown on the Sky Sports Main Event TV channel, on Saturday 25 April. 

It looks like the 'etournament' is free to watch internationally on YouTube and Facebook but if you do get geo-restricted, then you'll want to invest in a VPN. A Virtual Private Network allows you to pretend your IP address is in another country, allowing you to stream like you're there. This will help you appear as though you are in the UK and thus get around pesky geography. You can find our best option for that method below.

As and when we find out more information on how to watch this event - particularly after its launch - we'll update this page so you have the best options at your fingertips.

How to watch the ePremier League Invitational using a VPN

Express VPN | from just $5.49/£5.91 a month
If you do need to be in the UK to watch the FIFA games then a VPN will enable you to 'be in the UK'. We think the best in the business right now is ExpressVPN and it provides a massive collection of top, reliable server locations around the world that you can connect to. It also offers a number of privacy settings and security options.

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The above VPN, ExpressVPN, is indeed out top pick. And you can have confidence in that as we have spent a lot of time compiling both best VPN and best VPN for Netflix guides. 

Here the simple steps to follow to watch the ePremier League Invitational online using a VPN:

1: Install a VPN. Seems obvious but it remains an important first step. Right now, there is an excellent offer available where you get an additional three months FREE on a 12-month package and save 49%. ExpressVPN works on a massive range of devices and you'll also get a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is great if you change your mind.

2: Connect to a UK server. This is what will make you appear as if you're in the UK so make sure to get this bit right! 

3: Choose your service (YouTube is the best bet for the early rounds). After you've switched your location to be somewhere in the UK, simply browse as you would normally, heading to websites or subscription services as normal.

How to watch the ePremier League Invitational finals in the UK

From £9.99 at Now TV
While the first 16 games, including the quarter-finals will be free to watch on YouTube, Facebook et al, the semis and the final will be on Sky Sports' Main Event TV channel. That means those of us who don't have Sky Sports will need to find a route to watch it. The best method for UK readers is to go to Now TV where you can choose various Sky Sports passes. Note: the cheap £5.99 a month mobile pass does not include the Main Event channel, so it's no good for watching this tournament.

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And you'll want to consider a screen upgrade to give yourself the best possible chance at viewing the tournament in all its fun, bantery goodness: check out our guides to the best gaming TVs and the best gaming monitors here.