Last Updated on August 25, 2026 by Walter
Fourteen court orders, three VPN brands named, and a block list that now covers DNS, CDN, search engines, and ISPs all at once. Here is what the ruling means for anyone streaming football abroad, and why it matters even if you never follow a French match.
Table of Contents
What Happened
On July 17, Vice-President Irene Benac signed fourteen orders split evenly between the 2026/2027 Champions League and Premier League seasons. The Premier League orders target 47 domain names and the Champions League orders cover 26, including brands such as Totalsportek, LiveTV, and Kevinsport, plus various IPTV gateways. The ISP orders cover Orange, SFR, Free, and Bouygues Telecom, while DNS orders hit Google Public DNS, Cloudflare, Quad9, and DNS4EU. Google and Microsoft Bing are also ordered to de-index the domains from French results.
Key Facts
- 14 orders signed July 17 by Vice-President Irene Benac.
- 47 Premier League domains, 26 Champions League domains (some overlap).
- VPNs named: Proton (provisional), CyberGhost and ExpressVPN (contested and lost); NordVPN and Surfshark dropped without explanation.
- Enforcement within 3 days; PL runs to May 30, 2027, CL to June 5, 2027.
- A new law adds automated real-time blocking, passed 4 days after the rulings.
What It Means
The court rejected the VPN defense, distinguishing an earlier EU ruling that had shielded a VPN from liability because that case involved lawful publication rather than pirate streams. Blocking orders now arrive in batches large enough to include infrastructure companies, which changes who has to act when the next list is signed.
Related Guide
If you follow the France angle, our guide to watching BBC iPlayer in France is a useful read, and anyone shopping for a provider can compare current offers on our deals page.
Source: TorrentFreak, Paris Court Kicks Off New Football Season with Multi-Intermediary Piracy Blocking Orders.
This is a news report, not legal advice. Rules differ by country, and provider responses can change. Check your local laws and each service's Terms of Service.
The pattern matters beyond France because other rights holders are watching. A single coordinated sweep that names VPNs, resolvers, and search engines together is easier to copy than a bespoke court fight, which is why these orders are worth understanding even if you never follow a French match.
In previous seasons Canal+ named five VPN providers at once. This year it pursued three, dropping NordVPN and Surfshark without explanation, a reminder that provider names on these lists shift from year to year.
The four days between the rulings and the new law also show how fast this area is moving, which is reason enough to check back for updates rather than assume the list stands still.