It's a good week to be a sports fan, as several popular leagues have marquee games on tap. The NBA Conference Finals kick off this week, featuring Spurs vs. Thunder and Cavaliers vs. Knicks match-ups. The WNBA season is also in full swing, and several of this week's games are nationally broadcast or streamed. You can also catch the NHL Playoffs, the PWHL Finals, and the UEFA Europa League Final on TV the week of May 18-May 24, 2026.
Below, you can find some of the top sporting events this week, including the top five best live sports on TV today. This roundup isn't a full list of all live sports on TV this week, but it covers some of the most notable events across popular leagues. Just keep in mind that some games and leagues (like the MLB) have blackout restrictions in local markets and for nationally broadcast games. Additionally, some fixtures airing on the same network at the same time as another game will be regionally dependent.
Baseball
- Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers (MLB) on Monday at 6:40 p.m. ET on FS1
- Toronto Blue Jays vs. New York Yankees (MLB) on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET on TBS
- Houston Astros vs. Chicago Cubs (MLB) on Friday at 2:20 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles (MLB) on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Seattle Mariners vs. Kansas City Royals (MLB) on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. ET on FS1
- St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds (MLB) on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET on FOX
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers (MLB) on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET on FOX
- Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. ET on Peacock
- Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels (MLB) on Sunday at 7:20 p.m. ET on Peacock
Basketball
- Washington Mystics vs. Dallas Wings (WNBA) on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN/Peacock
- San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA) on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks (NBA) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
- San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA) on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock
- Portland Fire vs. Indiana Fever (WNBA) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network
- Dallas Wings vs. Chicago Sky (WNBA) on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on USA Network
- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks (NBA) on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Golden State Valkyries (WNBA) on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video
- Los Angeles Sparks vs. Phoenix Mercury (WNBA) on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on Prime Video
- Golden State Valkyries vs. Indiana Fever (WNBA) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ION
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs (NBA) on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock
- Connecticut Sun vs. Seattle Storm (WNBA) on Friday at 10 p.m. ET on ION
- Minnesota Lynx vs. Chicago Sky (WNBA) on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS/Paramount Plus Premium
- New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN Unlimited
- Los Angeles Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces (WNBA) on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS/Paramount Plus Premium
- Dallas Wings vs. New York Liberty (WNBA) on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs (NBA) on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock
Hockey
- Montreal Victoire vs. Ottawa Charge (PWHL) on Monday at 6 p.m. ET on ION
- Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres (NHL) on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche (NHL) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche (NHL) on Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Colorado Avalanche vs. Vegas Golden Knights (NHL) on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Motorsport
- Indianapolis 500 (IndyCar) on Sunday at 12 p.m. ET on FOX
- Canadian Grand Prix (Formula 1) on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on Apple TV
Tennis
- French Open qualifiers, daily on HBO Max
Soccer
- Arsenal vs. Burnley (Premier League) on Monday at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network
- AFC Bournemouth vs. Manchester City (Premier League) on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network
- Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League) on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. ET on Peacock
- Orlando City vs. Atlanta United (US Open Cup) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Paramount Plus
- St. Louis City vs. Houston Dynamo (US Open Cup) on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on CBSSN/Paramount Plus
- SC Freiburg vs. Aston Villa (Europa League Final) on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET on Paramount Plus
- Columbus Crew vs. New York City (US Open Cup) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Paramount Plus
- América vs. Gotham FC (W Champions Cup) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Colorado Rapids vs. San Jose Earthquakes (US Open Cup) on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on Paramount Plus
- Washington Spirit vs. Pachuca (W Champions Cup) on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Boston Legacy vs. Seattle Reign (NWSL) on Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video
- St. Louis vs. Austin (MLS) on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET on Apple TV/FOX
- Real Madrid vs. Athletic Club (La Liga) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Espanyol vs. Real Sociedad (La Liga) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Celta Vigo vs. Sevilla (La Liga) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Getafe vs. Osasuna (La Liga) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Valencia vs. Barcelona (La Liga) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Girona vs. Elche (La Liga) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Mallorca vs. Real Oviedo (La Liga) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Real Betis vs. Levante (La Liga) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Alavés vs. Rayo Vallecano (La Liga) on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Racing Louisville vs. North Carolina Courage (NWSL) on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on ION
- Minnesota United vs. Real Salt Lake (MLS) on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Utah Royals vs. Denver Summit (NWSL) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET on ION
- Cincinnati vs. Orlando City (MLS) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- DC United vs. Montréal (MLS) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Charlotte vs. New England Revolution (MLS) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Chicago Fire vs. Toronto (MLS) on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Nashville vs. New York City (MLS) on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Sporting Kansas City vs. Red Bull New York (MLS) on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- San Diego vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS) on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Portland Timbers vs. San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Colorado Rapids vs. Dallas (MLS) on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo (MLS) on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Kansas City Current vs. Portland Thorns (NWSL) on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS/Paramount Plus Premium
- Villarreal vs. Atlético Madrid (La Liga) on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN Select
- Columbus Crew vs. Atlanta United (MLS) on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on Apple TV
- Bay vs. Chicago Stars (NWSL) on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN Select
- Inter Miami vs. Philadelphia Union (MLS) on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on Apple TV/FOX
- LAFC vs. Seattle Sounders (MLS) on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on Apple TV/FOX
While some games shown on traditional broadcast networks might have a stand-alone streaming counterpart (like Peacock Premium Plus for NBC or Paramount Plus Premium for CBS), others might require one of the best live TV streaming services to tune in.
Even if you can get a network through a stand-alone service, a live TV provider might be a better fit if you're a cord-cutter looking to stream multiple networks in one place. Below, you can find some of the best ways to live stream popular sports channels, including ESPN, FOX, FS1, ION, TBS, TNT, truTV, and the USA Network.
How to watch ESPN
Several different services allow cord-cutters to live stream ESPN. ESPN Unlimited, ESPN's direct streaming counterpart, costs $30 a month and unlocks full live streaming across all of ESPN's linear networks.
ESPN is also available through top live TV streaming services, like DirecTV, Fubo, and Sling TV. The network is available in the service's main plans and cheaper sports-centric packages.
DirecTV's MySports genre pack costs $65 a month, but new users can get $20 a month off their first two months of service after a five-day free trial. Fubo's Sports + News plan costs $56 a month, but new users can get $10 off their first month after a five-day free trial. Sling TV's Essentials plan costs $20 a month.
How to watch FOX and FS1
FOX and FS1 are both available to live stream through FOX One, which costs $20 a month and comes with a three-day free trial. There's also an option to bundle ESPN Unlimited with FOX One for $40 a month.
Both FS1 and FOX are also available through live TV streaming services, including DirecTV, Fubo, and Sling TV. FOX and FS1 are carried in DirecTV's MySports plan, which costs $65 a month ($20 a month off your first two months after a five-day free trial). They're also available in Fubo's Sports + News plan, which costs $56 a month ($10 off your first month after a five-day free trial).
You can also find both channels in multiple Sling plans, the cheapest of which is Sling Select (starting at $25 a month when local channels are involved). Just keep in mind that Sling's local channel coverage varies by region, so check whether FOX is available in your market before signing up.
How to watch ION
ION is available for free over-the-air and via a few FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) services, including Tubi and Pluto.
ION is also included in most live TV streaming services, including DirecTV's signature plans and Fubo's Sports + News plan. DirecTV's signature plans start at $90 a month for the Entertainment tier, but you can get $5 a month off for two years after a five-day free trial. Just keep in mind that plans might cost a little bit more after any additional required fees. Fubo's Sports + News plan costs $56 a month, but new users can get $10 off their first month after a five-day free trial.
How to watch TNT, truTV, and TBS
Sporting events that air on TNT, truTV, and TBS are available to live stream on HBO Max via B/R Sports. This option is included in HBO Max's ad-free tiers, which start at $18.49 a month.
TNT, truTV, and TVS are also available through live TV services, such as DirecTV and Sling TV. The networks are available in DirecTV's MySports genre pack, which costs $65 a month (although new customers can get $20 a month off their first two months of service after a five-day free trial).
TNT and TBS are also carried in both of Sling's main plans. Sling Orange costs $46 a month, and Sling Blue starts at $46 a month, but the latter sometimes costs more with local channels. Orange is also available in short-term passes, the cheapest of which is $5 for single-day access.
How to watch USA Network
Unlike NBC, USA Network isn't available to stream live on Peacock. Instead, you'll need a live TV streaming service, like DirecTV or Sling TV, to watch the network. DirecTV plans with the USA Network start at $65 a month for the MySports genre pack, but new users can get $20 a month off their first two months after a five-day free trial. Sling TV plans with the USA Network start at $46 a month for Sling Blue.
How to watch from anywhere
If you're traveling away from home, you might find it difficult to tune into your usual viewing options. Fortunately, you can keep up with your favorite services while abroad by using a VPN. VPNs, or virtual private networks, are handy cybersecurity tools that let you temporarily alter your virtual location. You can learn more in our guide to the best VPNS, or head directly to NordVPN, our top recommendation.
Note: VPN use is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content may constitute a breach of the terms of use for some services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.
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