January 30 is sure to be a busy day for NFL fans, since both the NFC and AFC Championship playoff games are on. The AFC Championship Game is set to begin at 15:00 EST (12:00 PST/ 20:00 GMT), with the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. Can’t make it in person? You’re in luck — the 2022 AFC Championship Game can be streamed live, for free. Below, we’ll show where you can watch the AFC Championship Game online.

We’ll only be recommending official NFL broadcasters. Unlicensed streams are a sad inevitability for major sporting events like these, but they come with some pretty significant downsides. First, the quality is often lacking, with stuttering, low-resolution video. Second, these streams are prone to mid-match takedowns, meaning you might not even get to see who wins. There are several ways to watch the AFC Championship Game for free anyway, so you have nothing to gain by using unlicensed streams.  

The AFC Championship Game will only be shown on geo-blocked streaming platforms. This means that if you’re traveling abroad and there’s no official broadcaster where you are, you’ll need a VPN to watch on your usual services back home.

How to watch the AFC Championship abroad with a VPN

New to VPNs and not sure where to start? Unblocking geo-restricted content abroad is actually fairly simple once you know how.

Here’s how to stream the AFC Championship from anywhere:

  • First, choose a suitable VPN. We particularly recommend NordVPN but Surfshark and ExpressVPN are both strong alternatives.
  • Download the VPN software, making sure to get the right version for your operating system.
  • Connect to a server in the relevant country. For example, you’d use an American server to unblock CBS or a Canadian one to access RDS.
  • Try loading a previously inaccessible geo-locked site. You should be able to browse as though you were actually in the required country.
  • Doesn’t work? Clear your cookies and cache then reload the page. It may also be worth trying another server in case your current IP address is blacklisted.

As the AFC Championship match will be broadcast live, it’s important to test your VPN before the match actually starts. This approach ensures you’ll have enough time to get help from customer support and significantly reduces the risk of you missing part of the game if anything doesn’t work as expected.

How to watch the AFC Championship online

Football is becoming more popular outside of the US, and accordingly, it’s getting easier to watch the NFL abroad. Below, we’ll explain where you can watch the AFC Championship Game from a selection of different countries.

USA

CBS is broadcasting this game across the US. Unfortunately, the website no longer lets you watch live by signing in with your cable provider details, and you’ll need a Paramount Plus (formerly CBS All Access) account instead. This service includes a seven-day free trial, though, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Once the free trial is up, it costs $4.99 USD (Essential plan) or $9.99 (Premium plan) a month. Note that due to local restrictions, this option won’t work in Kansas City or Cincinnati.

You can also watch the AFC Championship without cable TV by signing in with one of CBS’ supported over-the-top providers. These include FuboTV ($64.99/month), Hulu with Live TV ($69.99/month), and YouTube TV ($64.99/month). Note that Hulu’s plan includes access to Disney+ and ESPN+ while YouTube TV is running an offer in which you only pay $54.99 a month for your first three months.

The playoffs are also streaming live on NFL Game Pass, however, this service is more expensive at $99 for the season. Unless you’re already subscribed, you’re better off using one of the streaming platforms listed above and canceling your membership once the game is over to avoid being charged.

It’s worth mentioning that all of the above services are region-locked. This means that if you’re outside of the US, you’ll need a VPN to use them. NordVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee that allows you to watch risk-free. If you’re unsatisfied, just cancel during this time to receive a full refund.

UK

Sky Sports will air the AFC Championship Game live and existing subscribers can stream all of the action online via Sky Go. The problem is that to get Sky Sports, you need Sky TV, which is expensive and takes several weeks to be installed.

If you like, you can sign up for a Sky Sports pass on Now (£9.98 per day or £33.99 per month). While fans in the UK also have the option of NFL Game Pass (this costs £9.99 for the rest of the off season), games shown on Sky are blacked out on Game Pass.

Sky Go and Now TV are region-locked and only available in the UK. However, you can watch from abroad using a VPN.

Canada

There are a few different ways to watch the AFC Championship Game in Canada. The first way is to use CTV: this service is free but you’re required to login with your cable provider details before you can start streaming. It does not allow you to login with any over-the-top services, so if you don’t have cable TV, CTV simply isn’t an option.

You could also watch this match on DAZN. Normally, this would cost $20 CAD per month, but your first 30 days are free, so as long as you cancel before then, you won’t be charged.

Additionally, the AFC Championship will be broadcast live on RDS and TSN. Similar to CTV, these platforms allow you to watch for free if you sign in with your cable provider details. However, they also offer a standalone subscription for $19.99 CAD a month (or $7.99 per day). There isn’t any trial period or money-back guarantee, but RDS is the only Canadian service broadcasting NFL coverage with French commentary.

All of the above services are geo-restricted, so you’ll need a VPN to use them outside of Canada.

Australia

For Australian football fans, it’s easy to watch the AFC Championship Game for free. That’s because it’ll be shown on ESPN at 07:00 AET on January 31. If you’re already a Foxtel TV customer, you can sign into the Foxtel Go app and watch at no added cost. Alternatively, users can sign up for Foxtel Now and cancel within ten days to watch the match online without being charged.

You don’t necessarily need cable TV to catch this event, though as 7plus is showing it for free. Note that the game itself will be shown on the 7mate channel. You don’t even have to create an account although this service is geo-restricted, so you’ll need to either be in Australia or connected to an Australian VPN server.

If you’re outside of Australia, you’ll need a VPN to use these streaming platforms.

Which team is the favorite?

Kansas City Chiefs are favorites to progress to Super Bowl 56. They made the last two Super Bowl finals (Champions in 2019 and runners-up in 2020) and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round before seeing off the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.

The Chiefs will have home advantage although face a Bengals team that narrowly defeated them 34-31 in January. On their way to to the AFC Championship game, the Bengals had victories over the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans.

One of the best things about this game is that anything can happen. As such, the only way to find out who wins is to watch the match for yourself. Luckily, as we’ve shown above, this is very easy to do.