Football fans in Canada are familiar with the Grey Cup (Coupe Grey in French), a championship of the CFL (Canadian Football League) that usually takes place on a yearly basis, on the last week of November. The trophy awarded to the winning team is also known as Grey Cup and last year, it was the Toronto Argonauts who achieved victory when the Grey Cup took place in Ottawa. In fact, the Argonauts have won the Grey Cup 17 times, which is more than any other team in the history of the event. They are followed by the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with 14 and 10 victories respectively. In order to make it to the Grey Cup, the teams have to win the CFL’s East and West Divisional playoffs.
The 106th Grey Cup will take place in Edmonton Alberta on November 25th and just like in previous years, cable channel TSN (The Sports Network) has exclusive rights to broadcast the event in Canada. If you are travelling outside Canada, or you live in a different country but love Canadian football, you are likely to face restrictions if you try to watch the Grey Cup. There are geographical restrictions that will prevent you from following all the action of the Grey Cup, so unless you are in Canada and have access to TSN, you may have difficulties watching the event. ESPN2 offers viewers in the US the possibility to watch the Grey Cup. Those outside North America may have less options to watch the championship. This is when a VPN comes handy as this technology can help you to get around the restrictions, no matter where you are.
More about the Grey Cup
Before we talk more about how you can watch the Grey Cup from any location, let’s take a closer look at the history of this event. The first Grey Cup took place in 1909 and while the Canadian version of football is similar to the US one, there are some small variations. The main differences refer to the football pitch. For instance, the Canadian Football League uses a larger field than (110 yards, instead of 100 like in the US) and the endzone is 10 yards longer than what is used in the US. Furthermore, the goal post is at the front of the endzone in the Canadian version.
Now, when it comes to name of the event, it is worth noting that it refers to Albert Grey, the fourth Earl Grey and Governor General of Canada between 1904 and 1911. Grey was a patron of sport and the event is named after him in recognition to his support to Canadian football and the fact that he donated the trophy. While there have been years when the event didn’t take place, the Grey Cup is known as one of the oldest trophies awarded in North America. The teams in the CFL include the Toronto Argonauts, the Ottawa Redblacks, the Montreal Alouettes, The Edmonton Eskimos, The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the BC Lions. Some of these teams, like the Cup, have over 100 years of history.
Options to watch the Grey Cup
As previously mentioned, if you are in Canada, you can subscribe to TSN to watch the Grey Cup. ESPN2 also broadcast the event, so if you have this channel, you will also be able to catch up with the championship. If you don’t have a cable subscription and prefer a streaming service, you can consider Sling TV. This subscription service offers online access to a great variety of cable and satellite channels including ESPN. You can sign up for a 7 day free trial and unlike cable subscriptions, it is possible to cancel SlingTV at any time.
Since all the services mentioned above are only available in Canada or the United States, if you live in a different country, you will need to use a VPN. There are many services available and since Canada and the United States offer some of the most popular content in the world, most VPN providers have servers in these countries. To be able to watch the Grey Cup from any location, you just need to subscribe to a VPN, install the client on your device and connect to a server in Canada or the United States. Your IP address will appear as if you were located in the country of the server you are connected to, which will give you access to the services and channels that broadcast the Grey Cup. Here are the options that we recommend.
ExpressVPN
When it comes to streaming content, ExpressVPN is one of the best options available. It offers fantastic speeds and reliable performance. You can connect to servers in Canada and the United States and enjoy access to the Grey Cup, without hassle. The software is easy to use and you can contact the customer support at any time. ExpressVPN also offers high security and it doesn’t keep logs of your activities.
IPVanish
IPVanish is one of the most popular providers in the market thanks to the great speeds and high quality service that it offers. They manage their own network of servers, which enables them to offer incredible speeds. You can connect to servers in over 60 countries and of course, Canada and the United States are in the list of options supported. IPVanish won’t keep logs of your traffic and it protects your data with strong encryption.
VPNArea
VPNArea has over 200 servers in 69 countries and it provides a fast, efficient solution to watch the Grey Cup from any location. You just need to connect to one of their servers in the United States or Canada, depending on the service you are using to watch the Grey Cup. VPNArea protects you against DNS leaks, IPv6 leaks and the WebRTC issue that could expose your real IP address. No logs are kept of your online activity.
PureVPN
PureVPN is another great choice for streaming since it has servers in many locations and it offers features that will allow you to manage your connection effectively. You can use the split tunneling feature to separate your traffic. For instance, you can use the VPN to bypass geo-blocks or secure your traffic when you use specific apps, and use your standard internet connection for general browsing. PureVPN promises not to keep logs of your activities and it has servers in over 140 countries.