How to Fix VPN Not Working With DAZN - 2023 Edition (2024)

London-based sports streaming service DAZN (pronounced “da zone”) offers live and on-demand streaming of various sporting events, including boxing, Major League Baseball, soccer, and more. The service is certainly popular among cord-cutting sports fans, but the service is only available in the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, the United States, Spain, and Brazil.

If you reside or travel outside of the above countries, you may have been using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to access the sports streaming service. Unfortunately, that VPN no longer reliably unblocks DAZN.

At a Glance

DAZN, as well as most other streaming services, do their best to prevent viewers from outside of their designated viewing zones from enjoying their content. This is due to the contracts DAZN has signed with the various sports leagues restricting where one can view a game or event. (Movie and TV streaming services face similar restrictions from TV and film producers.)

Streamers are hip to the trick of using a VPN to access their content from non-authorized areas of the globe. When they discover that someone using an IP address belonging to a VPN is trying to access their service, they put that IP address on a blacklist, which is then used to block the IP from accessing the service.

This means there is a constant battle going on between streamers and VPN providers, as the VPNs continue to strive to provide access to streaming sites for their customers.

While some VPNs have given up on providing access to streaming services, or have greatly reduced the number of streamers they do provide access to, there are still a few VPNs that continue to wage battle in this virtual boxing ring.

Why DAZN Blocks VPN Providers

When the streaming and VPN industries were in their infancy, it was relatively easy for a VPN to unblock most streaming sites. However, this began to change.

Streamers eventually caught on to VPNs’ talent for unblocking streaming services and began actively working to block VPN users from accessing their streams.

Streamers don’t do this out of spite, but instead, they are legally obligated to do this. As I mentioned in the introduction, the contracts DAZN has signed with the various sports leagues restrict where a game or event can be viewed. Movie and TV streamers are subject to the same restrictions.

What all of this means is that DAZN is legally required to strive to ensure that viewers outside of the designated viewing areas are unable to access their streams.

How DAZN Blocks VPN Users From Accessing Their Content

To start with, let’s look at how a VPN unblocks geo-blocked content in other parts of the world.

When you connect your device to a VPN server, that server temporarily assigns a fresh IP address to your device. The new IP address belongs to whichever country the VPN server you connected to is located in. This makes it appear to the rest of the internet that you’re connecting from inside that country.

For example, you may actually be located in Florida in the U.S., but if you’re connected to a server that is based in Germany, it looks to others as if you’re located there.

Once you’re connected to a VPN server, you are likely sharing that server’s IP address with other VPN users.

The VPN server acts as a router (much like the WiFi router you likely have somewhere in your home). It presents a single IP address to the internet while routing each data request and response to the proper device out of the multiple devices sharing the IP address.

This shared IP address has advantages as well as disadvantages.

In the “pros” column, a shared IP address provides added anonymity for users, as an individual online activity cannot be directly traced back to an individual device.

Over here in the “cons” column is that if multiple IP users are using the same IP address and many of them attempt to connect to a streaming service like DAZN, the service may notice this and investigate. If they find that the IP address belongs to a VPN, they will block that IP address.

Once that IP address has been blocked, the VPN’s customers may complain to customer support. This will cause the VPN’s tech folks to check things out, and if they find that the streaming service is actively blocking the IP address, they will set up new VPN servers sporting fresh, unblocked IP addresses.

Unfortunately, this kicks off a virtual game of hide-and-seek. The streaming service eventually discovers the new IP addresses, blocks them, the VPN sets up new addresses, and…The turn-based game continues.

This whole back-and-forth battle has led some VPN providers to pull out of the competition. On the bright side, better VPN services remain in the game.

Best Blocked-DAZN Workaround: NordVPN

Aug 2023unblocks DAZNTested Aug 2023

If you’re outside of all of DAZN’s viewing areas and want to keep up with the action, you should take a closer look at NordVPN. In addition to DAZN, NordVPN offers international access to ESPN, BeIN Sports, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and many others.

Check out my full review of NordVPN and how we test VPN providers.

1. Connection Speeds

Most streaming services offer their content in 1080p HD. A growing number of services now also offer 4K streams. Both formats require fast, no-data-cap connections. This makes a provider’s download speeds an important factor to consider when deciding on a VPN.

The faster the connection speeds, the faster you get to begin watching your favorite sports, and the less you have to worry about being stricken with a buffering pause right in the heat of the action.

NordVPN offers super-fast download speeds, some of the fastest in the VPN industry. Plus, the provider never cuts a game or match short by imposing data caps or bandwidth throttling.

2. Global Server Coverage

Sure, you’re reading this article because you’re looking for a VPN to unblock DAZN and only care about the countries where DAZN is available.

However, I want you to be aware of the advantages that a large global server network offers. It comes down to the better the global server coverage that a VPN offers, the more geo-blocked content you may have access to.

Currently, the NordVPN global server network boasts 5,200+ servers located in around 60 countries. While not the largest global network in the VPN industry, it is still sufficient to provide access to a large number of sites and services throughout the world that may be unavailable in your area.

3. Online Security & Privacy Protection

If you’re online, you are in danger of having your online travels monitored by your ISP, the government, and hackers. Hackers are looking to steal valuable information that your online activities may reveal, ISPs want to log your online antics because they can sell that info to advertisers, and the government monitors you because that’s what governments do.

It’s an always-connected world, and your computers, mobile devices, game consoles, and other devices are connected to the internet, even when they’re supposedly turned off. (My smart TV notifies me on a regular basis about updates it performed while “turned off.”)

NordVPN protects your internet connection with government-grade 256-bit AES encryption, an automatic kill switch, and IP/DNS leak prevention. The provider also offers its own NordLynx connection protocol, which is based on the WireGuard protocol and is optimized for performance and extra security.

The provider’s strict no-server-logs-ever policy (which Price Waterhouse Cooper has recently audited) and a privacy-protecting Bitcoin cryptocurrency payment option team up to protect your privacy.

Plus, all NordVPN server operations are run only from RAM, with no data whatsoever being written to a physical hard disk. This means that all data is totally erased when the server is rebooted.

NordVPN is also working to move all of its server operations to an owned-and-operated model, keeping third-party contractors away from your personal data.

4. Multi-Platform App Support

DAZN is available on numerous device platforms. This allows sports fans to keep up with the action no matter where they may be. This makes native app support an important consideration when researching VPNs.

NordVPN’s native app selection includes options for the macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Amazon Fire, Android TV, and Android device platforms. Chrome and Firefox browser extensions are also available.

NordVPN’s SmartDNS service offers owners of PlayStation (4 and 5), Xbox (One and Series S & Series X), Apple TV, Roku, and Smart TVs access to geo-controlled content. (Keep in mind, though, that a DNS service does not encrypt your internet connection like a VPN.)

Up to 6 devices can simultaneously connect to the NordVPN server network. The provider is also compatible with quite a few router makes and models. NordVPN-ready-to-go routers are available from FlashRouters.

5. Customer Support

While I don’t wish any type of technical issues on any of my readers, you will more than likely need to be in contact with your VPN’s support personnel at least once or twice while you’re subscribing.

NordVPN is always available to answer your questions or fix your issues thanks to its 24/7 live support chat, email support, and searchable support library.

NordVPN customer support agents are knowledgeable and easy to work with. The provider’s support library is also an easy-to-use source of information.

6. Pricing

NordVPN is an excellent value. The provider’s 2-year option is a particularly good option for budget-minded users.

A 30-day money-back guarantee provides plenty of time to put NordVPN through its paces.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to view your favorite DAZN sports action from around the globe, you should give NordVPN a try.

The provider’s fast and well-protected connections, excellent customer support, wide-ranging global server coverage, comprehensive app support, and top-notch online security and privacy protections make it the best option for unblocking DAZN.

For more information or to subscribe, visit the NordVPN website.