UK’S Saturday 3pm TV blackout rule will be BROKEN for the Club World Cup final

Channel 4 will break the UK’s football TV blackout rule by showing the FIFA Club World Cup final live later this month – if Premier League side Chelsea reach it.

Their coverage of the final, which takes place in the UAE on February 12, will go against the longstanding broadcast rule which prevents live matches from being televised between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturday afternoons. 

Champions League holders Chelsea are favourites for the competition and likely to feature in the final as they look to join Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester United by lifting the title for the first time in their history.

Thomas Tuchel’s side are automatically through to the semi-finals and will look to win a one-legged tie on February 9 to land a spot in the final. Their opponents are not yet known.

Should Chelsea progress, Channel 4 will begin their coverage at 4pm on February 12 after winning the exclusive, terrestrial rights. Kick-off is at 4.30pm UK time.

Channel 4 are allowed to show the game during the blackout period because tournaments organised by FIFA are exempt from the rule, unlike competitions looked after by UEFA and other governing bodies. 

The blackout rule, which has been in place in the UK since the 1960s, was brought in to ensure the attendances of lower league games was not negatively affected by fans staying at home to watch high-profile matches on television.

The move by Channel 4 means that, providing Chelsea emerge victorious in their semi-final, football fans in the UK will be treated to live action within the blackout time frame.

This became a regular occurrence while fans were banned from attending matches during the Covid pandemic, with Sky Sports and BT Sport regularly broadcasting 3pm kick-offs in the Premier League.

Chelsea’s semi-final will take place on February 9, three days before the final in Abu Dhabi. It will be shown on E4, with coverage beginning at 4pm ahead of a 4.30pm kick-off.

Thomas Tuchel will be looking to win another trophy with Chelsea after an amazing first year

If Chelsea lose their semi-final and end up playing in the third-fourth place play-off, Channel 4 will show the game live on E4 from 12.45pm on Saturday, February 12. 

Speaking about Channel 4’s coverage of the final, Head of Sport Pete Andrews said: ‘This is one of the few major honours to have eluded Chelsea so it’d be great if they can make history live on Channel 4. 

‘We’re delighted to be bringing top-flight football live on free to air terrestrial television, let’s just hope the Blues can go all the way.’ 

There will also be a highlights show broadcast on the evening of Saturday, February 12, for those unable to watch the game live. 

Channel 4 has made a wide a range of high-profile sporting available free to air to UK audiences over the past 12 months. 

These have included live coverage of Emma Raducanu’s stunning US Open victory, British Lions rugby, England Test matches against India, the final race of the 2021 F1 season in Abu Dhabi, and live coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.