Arsenal vs. Liverpool in Philly: Start time, channel, how to watch and stream

Arsenal and Liverpool, two of the most popular teams in the English Premier League, will face off in a preseason match Wednesday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Local interest in the two squads is off the charts, especially for Arsenal, which has a large club of supporters in Philadelphia. The Linc has been sold out since March, with organizers calling Philly “one of the premier soccer markets in the U.S.” Tickets are available on resale websites like StubHub and SeatGeek, but expect to shell out more than $200 a ticket before fees for decent seats.

It’s the second-straight year Premier League’s preseason matches have been played at the Linc. Last year, Philly was one of five U.S. cities that hosted games featuring Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham, Brentford, Newcastle United, and Aston Villa.

It’s all a precursor to the 2026 men’s World Cup, when six of the tournament’s 104 matches will be played at the Linc. Five will be in the group stage, scheduled to take place between June 14 and June 27. Philly will also host a round-of-16 match on July 4, which will coincide with a celebration of America’s 250th birthday.

Wednesday’s match is the second leg of the Rivals in Red USA 2024 Tour, a three-city tour featuring games between Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United. Next up is a matchup between Manchester United and Liverpool at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. on Saturday, a final tune-up before Premier League season kicks off on Aug. 16.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch and stream Premier League preseason match between Arsenal and Liverpool:

SportsCenter will lead into ESPN’s coverage of the game, which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

Calling the match will be veteran Scottish-American broadcaster Derek Rae, who in recent years has been on Fox’s Euros and World Cup coverage and is the lead voice of ESPN’s German Bundesliga coverage.

Alongside Rae in the booth will be Stewart Robson, a former Premier League midfielder who spent five of his 14-year career with Arsenal. Video game fans might recognize his voice as one of the commentators on EA’s FIFA series.

Wednesday’s game will also be available in Spanish on ESPN+, with Jesús Humberto López and Eugenio Diaz on the call.

NBC, owned by Philly-based Comcast, has broadcast Premier League games in the United States since 2013. This preseason games was part of a separate deal ESPN reached with event promoter TEG Sport that included the three Rivals in Red games plus a one-off between Manchester United and La Liga opponent Real Betis in San Diego that will air on ESPN Wednesday after Arsenal vs. Liverpool.

Here’s the full schedule of preseason soccer action tonight (all times are Eastern):

Coming off the European Championship and Copa América, both teams have traveled to Philly with many of their stars resting. Among the Arsenal stars that made the trip are attacking midfielder Martin Ødegaard and forwards Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

Another name to keep an eye on is Riccardo Calafiori, a 22-year-old Italian centerback who just signed with Arsenal this week. He could make his debut at the Linc tonight, though if that happens he’ll likely come in off the bench.

“Let’s see how it is — we don’t want to rush anything,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said at a news conference Monday at the Union’s Subaru Park, where Arsenal practiced this week. “If he’s available and fit, great, he might play a few minutes. But if we think he’s still not ready, we’re not going to push him.”

As for Liverpool, fans could see veteran forward Mo Salah and possibly young midfielder Harvey Elliott. They’ll also see playmaker Dominik Szoboszlai, who has a couple of good friends in Philly — Union sporting director Ernst Tanner, who launched Szoboszlai’s pro soccer career, and Union midfielder Dániel Gazdag, a teammate of Szoboszlai’s on the Hungarian national team.

“He is the No. 1 star in Hungary,” Gazdag told The Inquirer. “Playing for a club like Liverpool, it’s amazing. Especially for a country like Hungary, it’s a small country.”

» READ MORE: Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai finds some familiar faces in Philadelphia

The 2024-25 Premier League season will start on Aug. 16, with Manchester United facing off against Fulham at Old Trafford.

Liverpool opens its season the next day at home against Ipswich Town, which was promoted back into the Premier League after a 22-year absence. Arsenal will kick off its season against Wolverhampton Wanderers, better known as Wolves, at Emirates Stadium in London. Click here to check out NBC’s broadcast schedule for the weekend.

The season will end on May 25, 2024.