College World Series Live Stream: All the Ways to Watch Without Cable

I can’t wait for this June’s College World Series, and I’m going to share the most affordable ways to stream all the action online.

In a hurry? You can watch all the games with the following services:

Why You Need a VPN Today

However, first you need a VPN to unblock US streaming services from . Our favourite is ExpressVPN. It’s definitely not the cheapest option at $4.99/month, but it just works – and across all your devices.

They have servers in 25+ US cities/states and 105 countries, which unblock access to premium streaming platforms available only in the US, as well as free “on demand” TV services worldwide.

You’ll have access to local platforms as if you were in the country, meaning you can watch BBC iPlayer as if you were in the UK, CBC Gem as if you were in Canada, plus hundreds more worldwide.

Sign Up for ExpressVPN

Hotdog users get three months free at ExpressVPN, so it’s a “no-brainer” for us. Decide for yourself with their 30 day money-back guarantee.

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve installed your VPN and connected to a US server, you’ll still need to subscribe separately to access premium streaming services.

See our Softball Viewer’s Guide for information about the Women’s College World Series.

The Men’s College World Series is one of the year’s most popular college sporting events as many tune into ESPN’s family of networks, primarily ESPN and ESPN2, to catch the action from Omaha, Nebraska. It’s a great combination of baseball, college sports, and the chance to see future major leaguers showcasing their talent.

In some cases, families have attended the CWS for generations.

In 2021, attendance at the CWS ranged from a low of 19,150 for Texas’ 8-4 win over Tennessee, to send the Vols home to Knoxville, to a high of 24,122 for game two of the national championship series. In that latter contest, the Mississippi State Bulldogs tied the best-of-three series at one win apiece with a 13-2 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Last year (2023), the LSU Tigers defeated the Florida Gators in three games.

If you want to watch the college baseball action in Omaha, which lasts for a week and a half every June, secure access to ESPN. For the 2024 competition, most games are scheduled for coverage on ESPN, while ABC will air the second Final Game. If rain or other factors delay games, some may be moved to ESPNU.

Streaming options for these channels include Sling TV ($40.00/month), DIRECTV STREAM ($86.99/month), FuboTV ($79.99/month), and Hulu + Live TV ($82.99/month).

NCAA Baseball Tournament

The College World Series is the final event of the 64-team NCAA Tournament, which is formatted similar to the NCAA Basketball Tournaments except that each of the baseball event’s four stages are double-elimination. The first two are played over a pair of weekends on campus sites while the other two take place at the CWS.

The first weekend, four teams apiece play at the stadium of the top seed amongst them and continue playing each other until three have gone home with two losses apiece, and one school remains standing. That Regional champion will then take on another one the following weekend with one of the two schools hosting all two or three games; this is the Super Regionals round.

Eight teams survive those two weekends and advance to the CWS. They are placed in separate four-team brackets. So, initially, the format in Omaha is the same as the Regionals were. Once those two bracket winners are known, they will play each other in a best-of-three national championship series to complete the CWS and the NCAA Tournament.

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History

Although it may seem like it to many, the CWS has not always been played in Omaha. Its first two editions, in 1947 and 1948, were held in Kalamazoo, MI, while the 1949 CWS was contested in Wichita, KS.

It was in 1950 when the event was moved to Omaha and historic Rosenblatt Stadium. It remained there until 2010. Since 2011, the newly built Charles Schwab Field Omaha has welcomed eight college teams every June. This will continue through at least 2036.

However, what really kick-started interest in the CWS on a national level was ESPN covering it. This initially occurred in 1980. In fact, the reverse can be said as well as the CWS really helped increase ESPN’s stature as the network had only started broadcasting nine months earlier.

Entering the 2024 CWS, USC has the most national championships, although only one of those has been claimed since the 1970s, in 1998. The previous 11 were won between 1948 and 1978. LSU and Texas are next on that list, with seven and six titles respectively, followed by Arizona State which has won five championships. Oregon State was the first program to win three championships this century (2006, 2007, and 2018); it was the only one to have done so, until last year when LSU joined it (having won in 2000, 2009, and 2023).

The 2023 CWS was dominated by SEC schools. Not only did that conference provide three of the eight teams, but two of them played for the title. In that championship series, Florida set a new record for the most runs ever in a College Series game when it won Game 2 with a score of 24-4. But the Tigers responded with a 18-4 victory in Game 3 to claim their first title since 2009.

Other participants that year included Virginia (ACC), Wake Forest (ACC), Stanford (Pac-12), Tennessee (SEC), TCU (Big 12), and Oral Roberts (Summit League).

2024 College World Series Schedule

The 2024 College World Series schedule, including Regionals and Super regionals, is as follows:

• Selection show Monday, May 27 from 12:00 pm (ESPN2/ESPNU)
• Regionals: Friday-Monday, May 31-June 3
• Super regionals: Friday-Sunday, June 7-9 or Saturday-Monday, June 8-10
• First day of MCWS games: Start Friday, June 14
• MCWS finals: Saturday-Monday, June 22-23/24

MCWS Games Schedule

June 14

• Game 1 – 2 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)
• Game 2 – 7 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)

June 15

• Game 3 – 2 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)
• Game 4 – 7 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)

June 16

• Game 5 – 2 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)
• Game 6 – 7 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)

June 17

• Game 7 – 2 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)
• Game 8 – 7 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)

June 18

• Game 9 – 2 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)
• Game 10 – 7 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)

June 19

• Game 11 – 2 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)
• Game 12 – 7 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)

June 20

• Game 13 (if necessary) – 2 pm: TBD vs. TBD (TBD)
• Game 14 (if necessary) – 7 pm: TBD vs. TBD (TBD)

June 22

• MCWS Final Game 1 – 7:30 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)

June 23

• MCWS Final Game 2 – 2 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ABC)

June 24*

• MCWS Final Game 3 – 7 pm: TBD vs. TBD (ESPN)*

*If necessary

Where to Watch the Games

ESPN has a broadcast deal with NCAA, so almost game of the NCAA Baseball Tournament will be shown on an ESPN channel. All CWS and Super Regional games are generally shown on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU while contests played in the Regional round are broadcast on those channels as well as on the ACC Network, SEC Network, and Longhorn Network. In addition, a significant number of Regional games may only be viewed online, thanks to coverage by ESPN3.

Two of the 2024 CWS Championship Final games will be on ESPN, but the second one will air on ABC.

Streaming the College World Series

If you are solely focused on the CWS, you should just need access to ESPN and ESPN2 although you will likely want to also get ESPNU as it is infrequently used for games as well.

According to the NCAA website, though, you should only need ESPN and maybe ESPN2.

FuboTV

FuboTV includes ESPN and ESPN2 in its base plan ($79.99/month) while those located in ACC and SEC markets also get one or both of those channels for that same price. Everyone else needs to purchase the Sports Plus with NFL RedZone add-on ($10.99/mo) or the Fubo Extra add-on ($7.99/mo) to get those two channels. ESPNU is also included with both of those add-ons.

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All FuboTV plans come with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on up to 10 devices at once. See our FuboTV review for details.

Sling TV

Sling TV offers ESPN and ESPN2 with its Orange plan ($40.00/month) while the Sports Extra add-on that is associated with that plan ($11/mo) will get you ESPNU, ACC Network, SEC Network, and Longhorn Network as well. You can read more in our guide to Sling TV NCAA Baseball, or specifically the Selection Show, Men’s CWS, and Women’s CWS.

Save 50% on Sling TV Now

Sling Orange comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage but it limits you to streaming on one device at a time. See our Sling TV review for more information as well as our regular season and schedule guides.

DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM includes access to ESPN and ESPN2 in its Entertainment plan ($86.99/month). Meanwhile, those who instead get its Choice plan ($114.99/month) receive those channels as well as ESPNU, ACC Network, and SEC Network. However, do note that the Longhorn Network is not available through DIRECTV STREAM, but, with that said, few NCAA Tournament games are shown on that channel. In 2021, this consisted of three of Texas’ games in the Regionals.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free Trial

All plans come with unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on up to 20 devices at once. Get all the details in our DIRECTV STREAM review.

Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV offers ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network, and SEC Network in its base plan ($82.99/month). Also included in the plan is ESPN+ and Disney+. It comes with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on up to two devices. For more information, see our Hulu + Live TV review.

Others

• YouTube TV ($72.99/month): offers ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network, and SEC Network to its subscribers. It comes with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on up to 3 devices.

Wrapping Up

If you are looking to catch this year’s College World Series, you should procure access to ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU although the first two should show all or nearly all of the games. Those looking to also watch earlier NCAA Tournament games should consider getting the ACC Network, SEC Network, and Longhorn Network as well.

Regardless of what you are looking for, Sling TV is your cheapest option. Its Orange plan ($40.00/month) offers ESPN and ESPN2 while the Sports Extra add-on that is associated with that ($11/mo) gets you ESPNU, ACC Network, SEC Network, and Longhorn Network too.

FuboTV is our top choice for watching the College World Series. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.

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