You can watch the Premier League, EFL, the Six Nations and GAA in the Canary Islands with no fuss — the resort sports bars in every major holiday zone show the lot on Sky and TNT, and because the islands run on the same clock as the UK and Ireland, kick-off times are exactly what you're used to. No awkward mid-afternoon start times, no missing the 3pm Saturday fixtures because of a time difference. For British and Irish holidaymakers, catching your team over a cold pint by the pool is one of the easiest things on the islands — here's how it works and where to go.
The islands are on UK and Irish time
This is the key point, and it's genuinely good news. The Canary Islands keep the same time as the UK and Ireland all year round — GMT in winter and BST in summer — because both switch their clocks on the same dates. So a 3pm Saturday kick-off is 3pm on the islands, the Sunday 4:30 game is 4:30, and Monday Night Football starts at 8pm just as it does at home. You can plan your day around the fixtures without any mental arithmetic. Our guide to what time zone the Canary Islands are in explains the details, but the short version is: no time difference to worry about.
Because there's no time difference, live football fits neatly around a beach day. A morning by the sea, lunch, then the afternoon fixtures in an air-conditioned sports bar is a very easy Saturday in the Canaries.
What you can watch
British and Irish bars across the resorts carry the full menu of live sport that matters to holidaymakers:
- Premier League — the staple, shown widely across Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
- EFL Championship, League One and League Two — many bars will put on lower-league games too, especially if a regular asks.
- The Six Nations — rugby weekends pack the bars, with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales fixtures all shown.
- GAA — the Irish bars in the bigger resorts often show Gaelic football and hurling, especially championship weekends, which is a real draw for Irish holidaymakers.
- Champions League, internationals and big boxing and darts nights — the marquee events are almost always on somewhere.
Sky, TNT and the resort sports bars
The British and Irish bars that fill every major resort subscribe to Sky Sports and TNT Sports (the channels that carry UK live football and rugby), so you're watching the same coverage and commentary you'd get at home. These bars are the social hub of the resort strips — big screens, familiar beers on tap, and a crowd of fellow holidaymakers cheering the same teams. You'll find them clustered along the main entertainment strips of every big resort, from Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje on Tenerife to Playa del Inglés on Gran Canaria and Puerto del Carmen on Lanzarote. Our guide to British and Irish bars and food covers the wider scene, and the nightlife guide maps the liveliest strips.
Always ask the bar in advance
One golden rule: check with the bar before the game. Even in the most football-mad resort, not every bar shows every fixture — screens get booked out for the biggest matches, some bars prioritise Premier League over lower-league or rugby, and popular games fill seats fast. A quick word with the staff the day before, or a glance at the fixture board many bars chalk up outside, saves disappointment. For a big match (a derby, a cup final, a Six Nations decider or an All-Ireland final) it's worth arriving early or asking whether you can reserve a table.
Most sports bars will happily put on a specific game if you ask ahead and there's a screen free — especially lower-league or GAA fixtures they might not show by default. It never hurts to ask.
The local sides: La Liga on your doorstep
It's easy to forget the Canaries have their own professional football, and catching a local match is a fun change from watching British sport. The two big island clubs are:
- UD Las Palmas — Gran Canaria's club, playing at the Estadio de Gran Canaria in Las Palmas. When they're in La Liga, you can watch top-flight Spanish football against some of the biggest names in the game.
- CD Tenerife — based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium, with a passionate local following.
There's a long-standing rivalry between the two islands' clubs, and the atmosphere at a home game is well worth experiencing. Match schedules and which division each side is in change season to season, so check the club's official listings for fixtures and tickets before you plan a trip to the stadium. It's an easy, affordable and very local afternoon out.
Watching in each main resort
Wherever you're based, live sport is close by:
- Tenerife — the Veronicas strip and the wider Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje area are thick with sports bars.
- Gran Canaria — Playa del Inglés and the Yumbo area, plus Puerto Rico, show everything.
- Lanzarote — Puerto del Carmen's old town and main strip are the go-to, with Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca close behind.
- Fuerteventura — Caleta de Fuste and Corralejo have plenty of British and Irish bars showing the football.
The bottom line
Watching football in the Canary Islands couldn't be simpler for British and Irish visitors: the islands share your clock so kick-offs land at the usual times, the resort sports bars carry Sky and TNT with the full Premier League, EFL, Six Nations and GAA line-up, and you're watching the same coverage as at home over a familiar pint. Just ask the bar in advance for the game you want, arrive early for the big ones, and — if you fancy something different — take in a UD Las Palmas or CD Tenerife match for a taste of local La Liga passion.