The first showpiece final of the 2022/23 English domestic season takes place on Sunday as a resurgent Manchester United face off against high-flying Newcastle United for the Carabao Cup at Wembley.

Both teams will be looking to end long waits for silverware. United last claimed a trophy in the 2016-17 season when the Red Devils won this very tournament, as well as the UEFA Europa League, under the management of Jose Mourinho. Newcastle, meanwhile, haven’t tasted glory since winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (a precursor of the Europa League) all the way back in 1969.

The big question coming into this English Football League cup final is just how much Man United’s big Europa League win over Barcelona on Thursday has taken out of Erik ten Hag’s side. While their opponents have had just two days to recover from their European exploits, Newcastle have had all week to prepare for this huge game, having not been in action since last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool.

In-form Man United striker Marcus Rashford is a major doubt, after limping off with an injury against Barcelona. Newcastle are without goalkeeper Nick Pope, thanks to his suspension for a red card against Liverpool. With his backup Martin Dubravka ineligible, Magpies boss Eddie Howe will turn to third choice Loris Karius, offering the former Liverpool goalkeeper a chance at big-match redemption. The 29-year-old German was famously at fault for two goals that gifted Real Madrid a win against the Reds in the 2018 Champions League final, a performance that derailed his career.

Could Karius prove to be an unlikely hero on Sunday? Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live wherever you are in the world.

Man United vs. Newcastle: When and where?

The Carabao Cup final between Man United and Newcastle takes place at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday, Feb. 26. Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. local time in the UK (11:30 a.m. ET, 8:30 a.m. PT in the US, and at 3:30 a.m. AEST on Monday, Feb. 27 in Australia).

How to watch the Man United vs. Newcastle EFL Cup Final online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. So if your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, nonblackout area. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Sarah Tew/CNET

ExpressVPN

Best VPN for streaming

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free — the equivalent of $6.67 per month — if you get an annual subscription.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

See at ExpressVPN

Livestream the Man United vs. Newcastle game in the US

Sunday’s Carabao Cup final is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. 

ESPN Plus

Watch the Carabao Cup in the US from $10 per month

ESPN’s standalone streaming service costs $10 a month or $100 for an annual subscription. With it, you’ll be able to watch Sunday’s big game at Wembley, as well all of this season’s FA Cup fixtures. Read our ESPN Plus review.

See at ESPN

Livestream the Man United vs. Newcastle game in the UK

Live broadcast rights for the Carabao Cup final in the UK are with Sky Sports. Sunday’s match will be shown on its Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football channels. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app, but cord-cutters will want to get set up with a Now account, and a Now Sports membership, to stream the game.

Livestream the Man United vs. Newcastle game in Canada

If you want to stream the EFL Cup final live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to DAZN Canada. The service has exclusive broadcast rights to this match as well as every UEFA Champions League and Europa League match this season.

Livestream the Man United vs. Newcastle game in Australia

Football fans Down Under can watch the EFL Cup final on streaming service beIN Sports, which has exclusive broadcast rights to this tournament in Australia this season.

Quick tips for streaming the Carabao Cup final using a VPN 

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming Sunday’s final at Wembley may vary.
• If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the «search for city or country» option.
• If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
• All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location. 
• And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.