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If you’re a homesick Australian living in the United States (of which there are close to 100,000) or an American who got hooked on Australian football when almost all other sports had been suspended due to the pandemic, you might be wondering how to watch the AFL Grand Final in the US.

Australian-rules football is actually a really old sport. Teams representing Melbourne and Geelong were founded in 1858 and 1859 respectively and as such are the oldest continuous sporting clubs in the world. “Footy,” as it’s commonly referred to, is the most popular sport in Australia and the Grand Final is like the Super Bowl, where the two best-performing teams in a league of 18 go head-to-head for the Premiership title. The Grand Final sees over 100,000 fans in attendance and it’s watched by upwards of nearly four million people on TV (for perspective, Australia has a population of 26 million, so 15 percent of the country’s people tune in every year).

In 2020, many sports around the world were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic but as an isolated island nation, Australia initially withstood the virus’ onslaught meaning football could play on. AFL was one of the only sports being played for a time and many sports fans around the world hungry for something to watch discovered the incredibly physical sport for the first time. Former NFL punter and now well-known podcaster Pat McAfee was particularly captivated by it, saying on his podcast in March 2020, “It might be my favorite sport I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Aussie rules football is basically the best thing that could have ever been made.” He continued, “They punt like six times a minute, there’s punt-passes, there’s completions, there’s running, there’s tackling, refs toss balls like 65 yards over their head, it’s just this awesome sport.” So how can you get in on the action and stream the AFL Grand Final? Read on for how to watch AFL Grand Final 2022

The AFL Grand Final 2022 starts at 2:30 p.m. AEST (local time) on Saturday, September 24. In the United States, it starts on Saturday, September 24, at 12:30 a.m. ET and Friday, September 23, at 9:30 p.m. PT.

AFL Grand Final. Getty Images

How can one watch the Australian Football League Grand Final in the US? Australians get a free broadcast of the AFL Grand Final to their TVs and devices, but if you’re Stateside, here are your options for streaming. The best is using a VPN, a service that allows users to set their computer’s location to another country and access websites that would otherwise be restricted by location. The most popular VPNs out there are ExpressVPN, NordVPN and PureVPN—all of which offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Another popular VPN service is Pure VPN, which offers a 31-day free trial and a money-back guarantee. After the free trial ends, users can sign up for Pure VPN for $1.99 per month for a two-year plan ($53.95 in total), $3.24 per month for a one-year plan or $10.95 per month for a monthly plan. Pure VPN offers more than 6,5000 servers in over 78 countries across the world, as well as 24-hour live-chat support. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the AFL Grand Final in the US with PureVPN’s free trial.

ExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPN services and the one we recommend above all others for a simple reason. The service—which allows users to set their location to more than 160 locations in 90 countries with unlimited bandwidth—offers a 30-day free trial and a money-back guarantee. After the free trial ends, Express VPN costs $8.32 per month for a 12-month plan ($99.95 in total), $9.99 per month for a six-month plan ($59.95 in total) or $12.95 per month for a monthly plan. Along with access to more than 160 locations, Express VPN—which takes about five minutes to set up—also promises lightning-quick connectivity, 24-hour live-chat support and allows users to connect to any device, from computers to phones to tablets. Of course, users can do more than watch the AFL Grand Final in the US with a VPN. Along with the AFL, VPNs also allow users to access international versions of Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max (which have different content than in the US) as well as stream international services like Hayu, which has access to programs like the Real Housewives, Below Deck, The Bachelor and hundreds of other reality TV shows.

Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the AFL Grand Final ExpressVPN’s free trial.

Nord VPN is another popular VPN service recommended by YouTubers like PewDiePie, Casey Neistat and Philip DeFranco. The service—which offers a 30-day free trial and a money-back guarantee—costs $3.29 per month fora two-year plan ($78.96 in total), $4.99 per month for a one-year plan ($59.88 in total) or $11.99 per month for a monthly plan. Along with access to more than 59 countries, NordVPN also allows users to connect to multiple devices (from computers to phones to tablets) and offers a 24-hour live-chat support. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the AFL Grand Final in the US with NordVPN’s free trial.

Another popular VPN service is Pure VPN, which offers a 31-day free trial and a money-back guarantee. After the free trial ends, users can sign up for Pure VPN for $1.99 per month for a two-year plan ($53.95 in total), $3.24 per month for a one-year plan or $10.95 per month for a monthly plan. Pure VPN offers more than 6,5000 servers in over 78 countries across the world, as well as 24-hour live-chat support. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the AFL Grand Final in the US with PureVPN’s free trial.

FuboTV offers users a way to watch TNT without cable. A FuboTV monthly membership costs $69.99, which runs you far less than typical cable bundles. Along with TNT, the streamer includes channels like NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS and other top channels. FuboTV is also a favorite for sports fans, as it offers NHL Network, NBA TV, MLB Network and Golf Channel, among others.

Aside from sports, a FuboTV subscription gives you access to over 100 more channels—including AMC, Bravo, E! and Showtime—along with at least 250 hours of DVR and a streaming library with hundreds of TV shows and movies. And just to sweeten the deal, FuboTV even allows up to three screens to stream at once so that family and friends can join you as you watch TNT without cable.

The 127th AFL Grand Final will be between the Geelong Cats and the Sydney Swans. These highly competitive teams only met once this season 2022, and the Swans defeated the Cats 107 to 77 at a game at the Sydney Cricket Ground in round two. Sydney is coming in as the underdog, despite the big headline of the day Lance “Buddy” Franklin resigning with the Swans for his 10th and likely final season in the eleventh hour. “I feel like I still have a little bit to give. It’s been a long process to come to this decision. It hasn’t been easy. I’ve been in the game a long time, I have a young family now, so it was a hard decision,” he told The Guardian ahead of the big game. “But my passion for the game, my love for this football club, my heart is still here and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Historically, the two teams are pretty equally matched. Geelong has won nine grand finals, the first of which was 1925, while Sydney (formerly South Melbourne) has won 10. Geelong captain Joel Selwood and Sydney’s co-captains Callum Mills, Dane Rampe and Luke Parker will lead their teams out hoping for victory.

Pre-match entertainment is headlined by Robbie Williams, who will be supported by a host of Australian musical artists for the pre-and half-time shows. Indie rock darlings The Temper Trap, rising R&B star Budjerah, gospel artist Ngaiire, Mike Brady AM, and pop-rock star G-Flip will round out the day’s entertainment.

As is tradition, the AFL Grand Final will be played in Melbourne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which was built in 1853 and has since undergone significant and numerous renovations. The finale to the AFL season has been played at the ground every year since 1902 (though the Covid pandemic caused the game in 2020 to be moved to Brisbane) and it’s contracted to be played there until 2059. The ‘G, as it is affectionately called, is the largest sporting area in the country and can accommodate 100,024 seated fans and an additional 20,000 or so standing.

AFL is a game of four quarters lasting 25 minutes each. There are lots of rules, but the main one you need to know is that the aim of the game is to kick the ball through the two big goalposts at either end of the field for 6 points. There are two smaller goalposts on either side and if the ball goes through either of them, it’s 1 point. Teams swap ends each quarter. AFL moves incredibly quickly as both offensive and defensive players for both teams are on the field at the same time. It’s 18 players each and their roles aren’t as rigidly defined as they are in the NFL so you might have defenders scoring and attackers, well, defending. The ball, which is a similar shape to the one in NFL but with slightly more curved ends, can be kicked or handballed (a sort of punching action) among players to move it down the field.

AFL Grand Final. Getty Images

At the beginning of each quarter and after every goal, the ball goes back to the middle of the ground where an umpire (referee) will either bounce or toss the ball high in the air and one player from each team will jostle for it. Tackles are brutal but are only permitted between the shoulders and knees as AFL players do not wear any protective gear. High contact around the neck or head is punishable by the ball going back to the other team in what’s called a “free kick”. If the tackle is legitimate and the player being tackled doesn’t dispose of the ball, a whistle is blown and the other team gets the ball. That should give you a basic idea of what’s going on on game day.

The AFL Grand Final 2022 is available to stream on FOX Soccer Plus. Here’s how to watch it for free with FuboTV’s Free Trial.

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