The best matches have a habit of never starting when you’re conveniently settled in front of your own TV. They land in the middle of a commute, during the working day or in the middle of a vacation in the middle of the mountains. With a summer full of soccer ahead of us and games scheduled in US time zones, plenty of kickoffs will come at distinctly inconvenient times for fans watching from Europe and beyond.
The good news: you don’t have to miss a minute. Whether you’re on a train, in between meetings, or grabbing lunch at your desk, a little preparation will keep you on track with all your goals in comfort, and without forgetting your phone at lunchtime. Here’s how to set up to watch on the go.
Choosing the right screen
Your first decision is what you’ll actually see, and each choice is a trade-off between comfort and convenience.
A smartphone is the most portable option and the one you’ll always have with you, perfect for a quick score check or a replay of the goal. However, to watch a full match, look for a screen of at least 6 inches and a Full HD (1080p) display so that the action is clear.
Without a doubt, a tablet is the ideal place to travel: big enough to enjoy an entire game, small enough to slip into a bag. Aim for a screen around 10 inches or larger, a Full HD resolution or higher, and a stand or case that will prop it up so it won’t hold it for ninety minutes.
A laptop suits anyone who watches at a desk or in a hotel room, with the benefit of a larger screen and easy multitasking if you want to keep one eye on work.
A small accessory makes a big difference here: a folding stand or case that works as one, frees up your hands and puts the screen at a comfortable angle, whether you’re propped up on a coffee table or strapped into a train seat. Holding a phone or tablet for ninety minutes gets old fast.
Whichever you choose, three things make or break the experience on the go: a screen bright enough to see in daylight, a resolution of at least Full HD and a reliable connection, so make sure you have enough mobile data or a stable Wi-Fi signal before you start, because nothing tests the nerves like buffering during a penalty.
An energy bank so nothing dies mid-match
Streaming video over mobile data is one of the fastest ways to drain a battery, and a ninety-minute match (plus the inevitable overtime) will take a serious bite out of any phone or tablet. A power bank is the most important thing to bring. Canyon’s OnPower range covers any type of travel: the compact OnPower 510 magnetically attaches to the back of your phone and wirelessly charges it while you watch, while the OnPower 600, with its 20,000mAh capacity, has enough charge for several full games, ideal for a long day of travel or a back-to-back doubleheader. For the heaviest demands, the larger models in the range can even keep a laptop running. And if your travels involve a road trip, a Canyon car charger plugs right into the vehicle’s outlet and keeps everyone’s phones and tablets charged between stops, handy when a game goes into overtime and you’re still an hour away from your destination.
Headphones so you hear every word
You can’t exactly turn up the volume on a busy train, and phone speakers don’t do justice to a roaring crowd or a commentator’s big moment. A good pair of headphones keeps the commentary clear and the atmosphere immersive, while the noise is kept to yourself – essential courtesy in a shared space and much nicer for you. Wireless headphones like the Canyon Hexagon 7 TWS headphones are great for traveling light: they’re pocketable, pair in seconds, and free you from a tangle of cables. If you prefer to block out the world completely, a set of Canyon headphones wraps you in the game and leaves the cart behind. On a noisy train or plane, headphones with good passive isolation (or active noise cancellation, if your pair has them) make a real difference, allowing you to keep the volume at a reasonable level and still catch every word in the commentary box.
The right cables
A power bank is only as good as the cable that connects it. Pack a charging cable that fits your devices (USB-C for most modern phones, tablets and laptops) and consider carrying a spare, because a broken or unreliable cable always seems to fail at the worst possible time. Canyon charging cables are built to last, with reinforced connectors that resist being rolled up in a bag day after day. A short cable is useful for charging from a power bank in your pocket; a longer one earns its place when the only plug is frustratingly far from your seat. If you’re heading overseas to follow the action, throw a travel adapter in your bag too, so you can plug into unfamiliar wall sockets and recharge your power bank overnight, ready for the next day’s installations.
A backpack to carry everything
Put all this together and you have a small kit (a tablet, power bank, headphones and cables) that needs a home. A convenient backpack with organized compartments keeps everything protected and within easy reach, so you’re not rummaging through a chaotic pocket while gear lines up. Canyon backpacks offer padded sections for your tablet or laptop and smaller pockets for your power bank and accessories, all in a design that’s comfortable to carry through an airport, commute or day of sightseeing. With everything in one place, you’re ready to watch the game wherever you are when it starts.
Plan your schedule and connection
Half the battle of seeing on the go is simply knowing when and where you can. With kick-offs spread across US time zones, mark the start times on your calendar in your local time so a game doesn’t slip by while you’re stuck in a meeting. Also check you’ll actually have a connection – confirm your mobile data plan can handle streaming, as an hour of video can take up a staggering amount, and if you’re relying on public Wi-Fi in a coffee shop, hotel or airport, a VPN is a sensible way to keep your viewing private and secure. When a service allows it, downloading a game or highlights in advance over Wi-Fi means you can watch later without using any data.
Discreetly looking at work
If the game falls during office hours, a little tact goes a long way. Keep the game in a small window on one side of the screen, rely on headphones to keep the feedback from broadcasting across the room, and let a smartwatch enter your score at a glance for stretches when you really can’t take your eyes off your desk. Often, a quick word with teammates, or a shared screen in the break room, turns a guilty distraction into a team moment.
Ready to go, anywhere
Watching on the go will never be exactly like the big screen at home, but with the right device, a reliable power bank, decent headphones, the right cables and a bag to carry them, you can get surprisingly close. Set up once and never have to choose between your plans and your team again. Wherever this summer takes you, the party can come.