Getty The XFL Championship between the Renegades and the Defenders will take place on Saturday, May 13.
The Arlington Renegades and the D.C. Defenders will clash in the XFL Championship, which is set to take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, May 13.
The game (3 p.m. ET) will be televised on ABC, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both come with a free trial.
Those are the two best live stream options if you’re cutting cable, but there are also some other alternatives, so here’s a full guide on the different ways you can watch a live stream of the Renegades vs Defenders online:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ABC and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Renegades vs Defenders live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials to do that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ABC is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Renegades vs Defenders live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN3 (which simulcasts ABC games) and 40-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can your first month for half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Renegades vs Defenders live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials to do that.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of ABC and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes access to both ESPN+ and Disney+ at no added cost:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Renegades vs Defenders live on the Hulu app or Hulu website.
Compatible devices for the Hulu app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Hulu credentials to do that.
Renegades vs Defenders Preview
D.C. handed the Seattle Sea Dragons a 37-21 defeat in the North Division Championship to get to this point, while the Renegades emerged victorious in the South Division Championship after hand the No. 1 seeded Houston Roughnecks a 26-11 home loss on April 30.
“It means a lot to the guys, you could tell on the field after the game last week,” Renegades head coach Bob Stoops said about playing in the championship, via The Dallas Morning News. “These guys all play hard, they’re prideful in how they play and they’re excited about this opportunity for sure.”
The Defenders are led by quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, who threw for over 1,800 yards and 14 TDs this season while also getting named the XFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. The Defenders also boast the league’s Coach of the Year in former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Reggie Barlow, who led the team to a 9-1 record.
“I think it’s been a group of people who came together from all over the world – new process, new coaches and players – and we talked about trusting each other,” Barlow said about how his scrappy squad has come together over the season. “We knew we had to earn that. They had to earn ours, and we had to earn theirs, and that was going to be a work in progress. I think as we have continued to go throughout our season, they’ve trusted the coaching. They’ve trusted that we were going to take care of their bodies in terms of rest, limiting practice reps and all that stuff. And we still are working on that. It’s an everyday thing: You’re proving your trust. But it’s really based on that.”
The Renegades enter this one big-time underdogs, as they finished with a sub-.500 mark at 4-6. Arlington QB Luis Perez finished just behind Ta’amu in passing, throwing for 1,636 yards and nine scores. His seven interceptions could be a point of concern in this game, and might be something to watch out for.
These two teams met once earlier in the season, with the Defenders winning, 28-26. The Renegades nearly came from behind to win after being down by as many as 17 points, and if this game is anywhere near as exciting as their previous matchup, it has the potential to be a barnburner. Perez threw for 335 yards and a TD in that game, while Ta’amu went 14-for-20 for 188 yards and two TD passes.