The richest game in soccer, the Championship play-off final is a winner-takes-all scrap for access to the Premier League and its riches. The gulf between victory and defeat couldn't be more extreme — as one side gets promotion glory and well over £100m in the bank, the other is doomed to another season in the toughest league in the world.
You can watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live streams from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free.
The Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live stream takes place on Saturday, May 24.
► Time: 10:01 a.m. ET / 7:01 a.m. PT / 3:01 p.m. BST / 12:01 a.m. AEST (Sunday)
• FREE STREAM — CBS Sports Golazo (U.S.)
• U.K. — Sky Sports
• Canada — DAZN
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
This wasn't the plan for Sheffield United, who finished 14 points clear of Sunderland in the league, yet missed out on automatic promotion by a distance. Having either been promoted or relegated four times in the past six seasons, the Blades' wealth and squad is the envy of all other Championship teams.
To say the Black Cats have put their fans through it would be an understatement. In 2017 and 2018 Sunderland suffered back-to-back relegations that took them from the Premier League to League One in the space of 12 months. It took four years, four managers and two playoff heartbreaks to return to the Championship, but this season has brought renewed hope to the Stadium of Light. Led by former Lorient manager Regis Le Bris, for much of the season they were in contention for automatic promotion, but they had to make do with the playoff lottery after five straight defeats.
Their semi-final was customarily fraught, as the Black Cats required a 123rd-minute Dan Ballard header to see off Coventry. The Blades, by contrast, racked up a 6-0 aggregate score against Bristol City. One thing Chris Wilder doesn't have in his favor, however, is history. Sheffield United have lost all four of their previous Championship playoff finals.
Read on for how to watch a Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live stream in the Championship play-off final wherever you are and potentially for FREE.
Watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live streams for FREE
Soccer fans in the U.S. can watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live streams for FREE. The Championship play-off final will be shown on the free CBS Sports Golazo streaming service.
Away from home? You may not be able to watch the action like you normally would due to regional restrictions. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution. Use a VPN to watch the Championship play-off final for free — we’ll show you how to do that below.
Watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd from anywhere
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the Championship play-off final on your usual subscription?
You can still watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are, making it ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN — we explain why in our NordVPN review.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the U.K. and want to view an American service, you'd select U.S. from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to CBS Sports Golazo or another streaming service and watch Championship play-off final 2025.
Watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live streams in the U.S.
As mentioned above, CBS Sports Golazo is live streaming Sunderland vs Sheff Utd in the U.S..
The platform works across a huge array of devices, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, media streaming devices like Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Roku, and PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
The Championship play-off final is also being shown on Paramount Plus, which costs $7.99/month for the basic package or $12.99 without ads.
How to watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live streams in the U.K.
Sky Sports is hosting the Championship play-off final in the U.K... Sunderland vs Sheff Utd will go out on the Sky Sports Main Event and Football channels.
Sky Sports subscribers can also watch the game on mobile devices via the Sky Go app that's available for iOS, iPadOS and Android devices, along with Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
If you want to sign up, you can check out Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices. Or, if you don't fancy being locked into a contract, you could opt for a NOW Sports membership with plans starting from £14.99/day.
If you're not in the U.K., you can still follow your usual Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.
How to watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live streams in Canada
Sunderland vs Sheff Utd is on DAZN in Canada.
DAZN plans start at CA$24.99/month, although you can save a little by buying annually (CA$224.99). If you're unfamiliar, DAZN has apps on pretty much every single streaming platform out there.
Canadians traveling abroad who want to access their usual subscription can use a VPN such as NordVPN to make their streaming device behave like it's back home.
How to watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live streams in Australia
In Australia, Sunderland vs Sheff Utd is being shown on beIN Sports which also has the rights to La Liga, Serie A, rugby and tennis.
beIN can be added to most TV packages, or you can sign up for it as a separate subscription costing AU$14.99/month or $149/year after a 7-day FREE trial.
You can also catch full match replays via the platform if you're out when the game kicks off.
On vacation outside Oz right now? You can simply use NordVPN to watch all the action on your travels as if you were back home.
How to watch Sunderland vs Sheff Utd live streams in New Zealand
In similar fashion to Australia, New Zealand residents can catch the play-off final action on beIN Sports.
Plans begin at NZ$14.99, but you can grab a 7-day FREE trial right now.
If you're on holiday outside New Zealand We recommend NordVPN. Kick-off is at 2:01 a.m. NZST on Sunday morning.
More from Tom's Guide
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- The best VPN service
- How to watch F1 live streams
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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