The Irish Cup is a domestic cup for Northern Ireland. It is one of the oldest cup competition in the world. Football clubs from all levels of play join together to play in more than five rounds of competition. They are fighting to become the best team in all of Northern Ireland. The Irish Cup’s semi-finals and finals are played at Windsor Park. The winner of the the cup also earn the ability to represent Northern Ireland in the next seasons UEFA Europa League. Most finals are very close matches that are exciting to watches. Some even needed to be replayed.
There have been exceptions to that like Linfield’s 10-1 victory in the 1894-1895 Irish Cup finals. The team has earned a record for the most finals appearances, losses, and wins. Fans want to cheer their team on through every game. However, many may experience problems when trying to see the games. This is because broadcasters use geo-restrictions. Join us as we go over how to stream the Irish Cup with a VPN.
How to Watch Irish Cup with a VPN
Here’s a quick guide for watching Irish Cup football games with a VPN.
- Sign up for ExpressVPN (30 day risk-free money-back guarantee)
- Install the ExpressVPN browser extension, desktop, or mobile app.
- Launch the ExpressVPN app and select a server in your chosen region.
- Cheer on your favorite team through BBC Sports or any of the popular streaming services that broadcast the games.
Irish Cup History and Team Info
The Irish Cup was founded in 1881. It started off as an football tournament for all of Ireland. It has always been a knock-out style competition. The first winners of the cup was Moyola Park. Later in 1921, the Irish Football Association turned the competition into a domestic one. Linfield was the first team to win the Irish Cup after this change. Over the years, Glentoran has become one of the most well known club for the cup. They are the runners-ups in the record for finals appearances and wins. The team has also won a record setting four Irish Cups in a row.
The completion is a knock-out format. Games are played for 90 minutes. If they end in a draw then extra time will be used. After that, they will use penalties to determine the winners. The Irish Cup starts the first round with clubs from the third level and below. Their will be byes for certain teams. Each match up is drawn randomly. Some years they have more than 120 football clubs compete. When those numbers have been whittled down to eight clubs, the fifth round will start. The 24 level 1 and 2 teams in the Northern Ireland Football League will enter play to bring the total number of clubs up yo 32. After this they will keep playing until they reach the sem-finals. After that they will start playing at Windsor Park. The Finals are done a little differently. Games that draw after 90 minutes can have extra time, implement a shootout, or be replayed. The Irish Cup is a great competition that I hope you enjoy watching.
Use a VPN to Bypass Irish Cup Blackout Restrictions
Before we tell you more about how to watch Irish Cup games with a VPN let us inform you about the benefits a VPN can give you when watching sports. Many sports use blackout restrictions. One of the most common reasons is to keep attendance high. Another reason is that broadcasters are only allow to show them in certain regions. A VPN can help you gain access to blocked sports. It does this by allowing you to change your IP address to another in a region of your choosing. If you pick a place where the game is available then you can stream it. A VPN will also protect you by masking your IP address. Some of the matches are available through BBC iplayer and BBC Sports. Connecting to a VPN will help you avoid the blackout restrictions to cheer on your favorite team through the tournament.
How to Watch Irish Cup Games with ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is our choice for watching sports. They not only let you stream games in high quality but across many devices. PC, Mac, iOS, and Android are some of the easiest devices to set up. All you have to do is download the ExpressVPN app. They even have an app for routers that are compatible. You are also given the ability to use your smart TV, game console, or many other streaming devices through the MediaStreamer. This also comes with detailed guides on how to set it up. MediaStreamer gives you the ability to change your location, but it will not provide the same protection a VPN does. ExpressVPN will help you watch sports across a variety of devices.
ExpressVPN will keep you safe as you watch your favorite sports teams. They will mask your IP address and get around blackout restrictions. The company does not log your activities. We are happy to share with our users an exclusive ExpressVPN discount. This includes access to both the VPN service and MediaStreamer. When you subscribe for a year, you will get 49% off and receive 3 months free. ExpressVPN has a 30 day money back guarantee, so you will be able to test the service and see how it can help unblock sports.
