Copa América: When and where to watch Messi’s matches in India?
The grim reality is in India, no channel will telecast and no OTT platform will stream Copa América -- the most coveted football tournament after the World Cup.
Jun 24, 2024
Messi in action
The 17th UEFA European Championship 2024 is on. The best of Europe’s footballing nations are battling it out to lift this year’s trophy. Meanwhile, Copa América has also started. Lionel Messi is leading Argentina – the defending champion and the world champion – this year and already won their first match against Canada. Brazil – Argentina’s arch-rival – is gearing up for their first match against Costa Rica in the wee hours (IST) of June 25. But when and where to watch Copa América in India? The grim reality is in India, no channel will telecast and no OTT platform will stream the most coveted football tournament after the World Cup.
Also read: UEFA Euro Cup 2024: Here is a lowdown on groups and schedule
No broadcast for Copa América in India
Copa América took place during the same time as the Euro Cup in 2021. The same channel broadcasted both the tournaments. This year, initially, Fancode was scheduled to stream the matches. However, the deal did not materialise at the last moment. As a result, there is no streaming so far.
This disappointment could not deter the enthusiasm of the football fans. While some watched the Argentina match on third-party sites using private VPN, some used ‘dodgy’ apps to watch them. “I was badly searching for a way to watch the first Argentina match. That’s when my friends suggested this odd site. I had no alternative but to watch it there. This could be Messi's last Copa and I cannot miss him in action,” said Indranil Roy, a football enthusiast and public relations official.
'This could be the last Copa América for Messi'
Another Argentina fan Anirban Maity, who works as a film editor, also resorted to such measures. “I cannot possibly miss Copa America. This is unbelievable. I watched the first Argentina match on an unknown website through unofficial channels. This is probably Messi’s last Copa America tournament and I couldn’t miss it. I hope we can watch it through proper channels at least from the next round,” he said.
Football fans have expressed their dismay on social media. It is still uncertain if the rest of the matches will get any possible broadcasting rights in India. The football fans can only hope.
Meanwhile, in India, Sony Sports Network will broadcast the UEFA European Championship 2024 matches which will also stream live on SonyLiv. You can catch them with OTTplay Premium.
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