Technologies

Watch UEFA Nations League Final Soccer: Livestream Croatia vs. Spain From Anywhere

The Croatians aim for their first major international title as they face La Furia Roja in Sunday’s final.

Veteran superstar Luca Modrić will be hoping to lead Croatia to their first ever international title as they take on Spain in the final of this year’s UEFA Nations League today in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The Croatians claimed their spot in this showdown at the De Kuip Stadium after a thrilling extra-time win over the Netherlands in Wednesday’s semifinal.

Spain, meanwhile, edged past Italy on Thursday thanks to a late winner from late-blooming striker Joselu, and will be hoping to make amends for their defeat to France in the final of the 2021 edition of this tournament, which is UEFA’s secondary competition.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live wherever you are in the world.

A Nations League 2023 winners medal laying on grass.

Croatia vs. Spain: When and where?

Spain play Italy at the De KuipStadium in Rotterdam, on Sunday, June 18. Kickoff is set for 8:45 p.m. CET local time in the Netherlands (7.45 p.m. BST in the UK; 2.45 p.m. ET or 11.45 a.m. PT in the US; and 4.45 a.m. AEST on Monday, June 19 in Australia).

How to watch the Croatia vs. Spain game 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.

Livestream the Croatia vs. Spain game in the US

Sunday’s big match at the De Kuip Stadium will be available to stream on Fox Sports 1, which has live English commentary broadcast rights in the US for the UEFA Nations League final.

Sling/CNET

Sling TV Blue

Carries Fox Sports 1 with every remaining Nations League game in the US

Among the live TV streaming services that carry local Fox Sports 1, the cheapest is Sling TV Blue at $40 per month.

Numerous other live TV streaming services carry local Fox stations as well, namely YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, DirecTV Stream and Fubo. They all cost more than Sling TV, but they also carry more channels. Check out our live TV streaming channel guide for details.

Livestream the Croatia vs. Spain match in the UK for free

The great news for football fans in the UK is that terrestrial free-to-air station Channel 4 will be showing Sunday’s final live in the UK. Coverage of this match starts at 7 p.m. BST.

All 4

Watch international soccer on Channel 4 for free

That also means you can stream the game for free via the Channel 4 website and the network’s All 4 app.

As well as being able to watch via a browser on your laptop, there are dedicated All 4 apps for the likes of Android, iOS, PlayStation, Xbox, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, plus a wide range of smart TVs.

Livestream the Croatia vs. Spain game in Canada

If you want to stream this game live in Canada, you’ll need to subscribe to DAZN Canada. The service has exclusive broadcast rights to every remaining Nations League game this season.

DAZN

Watch the Nations League Finals in Canada from CA$25 a month

A DAZN subscription currently costs CA$25 a month or CA$200 a year and will also give you access to a wide range of soccer, plus Six Nations rugby and WTA tennis.

As well as dedicated apps for iOS and Android, there’s a wide range of support for set-top boxes and smart TVs.

Livestream the Croatia vs. Spain game in Australia

Football fans Down Under can watch this match on streaming service Optus Sport, which is showing every single UEFA Nations League game live in Australia this season.

Optus Sport

Watch the Nations League in Australia from AU$7 a month

With exclusive rights to screen all remaining Nations League matches live this season, as well as Premier League, Women’s Super League and LaLiga games, streaming service Optus Sport is a particularly big draw for Aussie soccer fans.

If you’re already an Optus network customer you can bag Optus Sport for a reduced price, with discounts bringing the price down to as low as AU$7 per month. If you’re not, a standalone monthly subscription to the service starts at AU$25.

Quick tips for streaming the UEFA Nations League using a VPN

With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming Nations League matches 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.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight Test 11

Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.