Quick answer: Both entry points cost the same $5.99/month as of mid-2026. beIN SPORTS CONNECT (direct from beIN) is the cheapest path overall thanks to its $59.99 annual plan, and it’s the only one that ever offers Arabic-commentary pay-per-view events. Fubo’s standalone beIN plan gives you the same beIN channels plus 100+ free channels and unlimited DVR for the same monthly price — and an upgrade path to Fubo Pro for the Saudi Pro League, La Liga, and World Cup 2026. One thing neither does: carry beIN’s Arabic-language MENA channels, because no US service legally can.
If you follow the competitions beIN holds in the US — Ligue 1, the Turkish Süper Lig, AFCON, and the Copa Libertadores/Sudamericana — you’ve got two $5.99 ways in. They look identical on price and carry the same beIN feeds, but they’re built for different fans. Here’s the honest breakdown.
What you’re actually buying: beIN’s US rights in 2026
Before comparing wrappers, know what’s inside. In the US, beIN holds:
- French Ligue 1 — through the 2028–29 season, so this is a safe long-term bet.
- Turkish Süper Lig.
- Africa Cup of Nations — beIN carried AFCON 2025 in Morocco (December 2025–January 2026).
- Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana — through 2026.
And what’s not on beIN in the US: La Liga (lost in 2021; it’s on ESPN’s platforms now) and the 2026 World Cup (FOX in English, Telemundo in Spanish). beIN’s famous Arabic World Cup coverage is MENA-only. Full background in our guide to watching beIN SPORTS in the USA.
Also: the beIN channels on both services are the US English and Spanish feeds. The only Arabic-commentary product legally sold in the US is the occasional PPV event on CONNECT — for example, the AFC Asian qualifiers for World Cup 2026 were offered in Arabic that way.
Option 1: beIN SPORTS CONNECT — the direct route
beIN SPORTS CONNECT is beIN’s own streaming service: $5.99/month or $59.99/year.
Why pick CONNECT:
- The annual plan is the single cheapest way to follow beIN’s competitions all season — $59.99/year works out to about $5/month.
- Arabic-commentary PPV. When beIN sells an event in Arabic to US viewers, CONNECT is where it happens. If that matters to you, this is the only door.
- All the CONNECT feeds, English and Spanish, direct from the rights holder.
- Broad device support: web, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Apple TV.
The trade-off: it’s beIN and nothing else. No other channels, and nothing approaching a DVR ecosystem like Fubo’s. More in our beIN SPORTS review.
Option 2: Fubo’s standalone beIN plan — same channels, bigger wrapper
Fubo sells a standalone beIN SPORTS plan at $5.99/month: the beIN channels plus 100+ free channels and Fubo’s unlimited cloud DVR (recordings keep for 9 months).
Why pick Fubo’s plan:
- Same price, more stuff. For the identical $5.99 you get the beIN feeds and a general-entertainment fallback of 100+ free channels, with unlimited DVR to time-shift matches — genuinely useful for European kickoff times in US time zones.
- The upgrade path. This is Fubo’s real pitch. Step up to Fubo Pro ($73.99/month, $48.99 the first month, 5-day free trial) and you add:
- FS1/FS2 — home of the Saudi Pro League in the US (FOX holds the rights; it’s not on Shahid here).
- ESPN Unlimited — which brings La Liga via ESPN+.
- CBS — some Serie A.
- The FOX family for all 104 World Cup 2026 matches.
In other words, CONNECT covers beIN’s rights; Fubo Pro covers beIN’s rights plus the competitions beIN lost or never had. If you’re the fan who wants Ligue 1 and the Saudi league and La Liga and the World Cup in one app, only the Fubo path gets there. See our Fubo review for plan details.
The trade-offs: there’s no annual discount on the standalone plan (so a full year costs ~$72 vs CONNECT’s $59.99), the 5-day free trial applies to Fubo’s main plans rather than the $5.99 plan, and no Fubo plan ever includes Arabic-commentary PPV.
Head-to-head table
| beIN SPORTS CONNECT | Fubo standalone beIN plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $5.99 | $5.99 |
| Annual option | $59.99/yr (≈$5/mo) | No |
| beIN channels | All CONNECT feeds (Eng/Spa) | beIN channels (Eng/Spa) |
| Arabic commentary | Occasional PPV events | No |
| Extra channels | None | 100+ free channels |
| DVR | No | Unlimited (9-month expiry) |
| Upgrade path | None | Fubo Pro $73.99: FS1/FS2 (Saudi Pro League), ESPN Unlimited (La Liga), CBS, World Cup 2026 on FOX |
| Free trial | No | 5-day (main Fubo plans) |
| Devices | Web, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Apple TV | Fubo’s standard apps |
Which should you pick?
- Pure beIN fan on a budget (Ligue 1, Süper Lig, AFCON): CONNECT annual at $59.99 — cheapest, direct, done.
- You want Arabic commentary when it’s available: CONNECT, because its PPV events are the only legal Arabic-commentary beIN product in the US.
- You want beIN plus DVR and channels to flip to: Fubo’s $5.99 plan — same money, more service.
- You follow Arab players and clubs across leagues — Saudi Pro League, La Liga, Serie A, World Cup 2026: start on Fubo’s $5.99 plan and upgrade to Pro for the big months.
And if your household also wants Arabic-language TV around the football, note that Sling Al Ostoura includes the beIN US English feed inside its 100+ channel Arabic package — see Sling vs Fubo for Arabic TV for that angle.
Bottom line
It’s a tie on sticker price and a split on substance: CONNECT for the cheapest season-long beIN access and the only Arabic-commentary option; Fubo for the same $5.99 with DVR and free channels, plus the only upgrade path that adds the Saudi Pro League, La Liga, and the World Cup. Neither carries beIN’s Arabic MENA channels — nobody in the US legally does. Rights and prices move every season, so confirm current details on the official sites before paying.