Having been postponed last year, we’re so excited for Euro 2021 starting in just a couple of weeks! For football fans, one of the best ways of improving our language skills is by following international games, commentary and news, and nowadays we can watch ‘the beautiful game’ on any device at any time – whether it’s on our TV, our laptop or even our mobile, we can catch unlimited amounts of world football content online. In this article, we’re going to share with you some of the best French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish sport channels around, so that you can watch plenty of football while enhancing your language skills at the same time.

French 

While France is not renowned for having one of the best football leagues, it certainly leads the pack when it comes to sport channels. For starters, the official Ligue 1 Conforama YouTube channel produces top-quality content (all in French) from post-match interviews to short match highlights week in, week out. Listen to the commentators losing the plot to some incredible goals and get a great insight into the behind-the-scenes action. Not only will watching the football put a smile on your face, but you will also seriously improve your French and learn some niche football expressions that you wouldn’t normally learn in a classroom setting. If you’re still after more Ligue 1 content, then why not also check out L’Équipe where you can read incredibly revealing articles and watch many insightful videos to really keep on top of the latest football news from France.

German 

For all the German-speaking fußball fanatics out there, feast your eyes on Sport 1 to not miss out on any Bundesliga action. All in German, this is the ideal sports channel for you as you’ll be able to follow all that is going on in German football while also developing your Deutsch at the same time. Alternatively, you can go straight to the source and visit the official Bundesliga website, which is filled with an abundance of videos, press-conferences, stats… you name it! With either of these options, you’ll be spoiled for choice for content and they would be a perfect way to really progress your German.

Italian 

It is a well-known fact that no one is more passionate than the Italians when it comes to calcio. The Serie A YouTube channel is worthy of a shoutout as it’s filled with elaborate highlights from every game along with bags of revealing interviews, ‘throwback’ videos reminiscing on some of the league’s biggest icons and much, much more. Sadly, most of the content is now in English, but it’s still a great way to keep up with one of the world’s top leagues. However, if you’re after exclusively Italian content, then don’t worry as the official Serie A website is all in Italian and contains plenty more videos and news on each respective club. Finally, don’t forget about the infamous La Gazzetta dello Sport for a ton of fascinating articles as well as endless updates on the latest transfer news from across the continent. 

Portuguese 

Speaking of die-hard fans, it’s no secret that Brazil lives and breathes football. O jogo bonito, as they call it, is embodied into the culture and livelihood of the country as it’s played everywhere from the favelas to Copacabana beach. So if you’re after a bit of South American flair, then go to Globo Esporte to watch some of the best action from the Brasileirão Serie A. 

Having said that, if you’re more interested in the football a bit closer to home, then you should visit A BOLA where you can keep up to date with European giants Porto and Benfica in the competitive Liga NOS.  Not only will you find out about the ins and outs of the league, but also you will be able to watch all the exclusive highlights that you wouldn’t find elsewhere. If that isn’t enough for you, Mais Futebol also produce high-quality content, bringing you the latest from Portugal and abroad, as well as all the transfer news and lately some eye-opening discussions with former and current players. You are spoiled for choice with the amount of Portuguese sport channels out there, so make the most of them to upgrade your Portuguese and to watch endless amounts of football while the season is at a standstill.

Spanish 

Arguably Europe’s, maybe even the world’s, best league, La Liga has a superb YouTube channel with cracking match highlights, player videos as well as the top skills, saves and goals of the week. What more could you want? But hang on a minute… if you’re still after more Spanish football action, then you should also check out RTVE as you’ll be equally blown away by the choice of countless interviews, clips and special features. With all the Spanish football content you could possibly dream of being available online, you are bound to stay up to date with all that’s going on in La Liga as well as bring your Spanish to new heights.

It goes without saying that watching all those football highlights, interviews and clips will do wonders to your language skills as well as seriously enhance your comprehension and fluency. Want more? Visit our Foreign Languages page to find out about our courses starting every 6 weeks.