Key Takeaways
๐ก LaLiga-related IP blocking can temporarily affect legitimate websites, games, apps, and cloud services in Spain.
๐ก Shared IP addresses can cause unrelated services to be blocked along with unauthorized football streams.
๐ก Switching networks or using a VPN like UFO VPN may restore access.
๐ก If a service works elsewhere or after the match, it may not be experiencing a global outage.
Why Are Websites and Games Blocked During LaLiga Matches?
This is not the first year that LaLiga-related IP blocking has affected internet users in Spain. In 2025, LaLiga officially explained that Spanish ISPs were using temporary IP blocks during matches to disrupt unauthorized football streams, under a court order first issued in December 2024 and upheld in March 2025.
The problem is that one IP address can host many unrelated websites and services. Cloudflare, Amazon, Akamai, and other providers use shared infrastructure, so blocking one IP can affect a regular website, game API, app backend, or cloud service at the same time.
This is known as collateral blocking.
A 2026 investigation by OONI found that more than 550,000 tested domains were affected at some point during LaLiga broadcasts in Spain. Cloudflare was frequently involved, but the issue also affected infrastructure from Amazon, Akamai, Alibaba Cloud, Meta, and Microsoft.
How to Check If LaLiga Blocking Is the Problem
A website that fails to load may be experiencing an outage, DNS problem, or Wi-Fi issue. Before changing anything, use these quick checks to see whether the problem is related to your network.
1. Check Whether a LaLiga Match Is Taking Place
Timing is one of the strongest clues. OONI's network measurements found that many blocking events matched LaLiga broadcast windows and ended shortly after matches. If a service normally works but suddenly becomes unavailable around match time, ISP-level blocking is more likely.
2. Try Another Network
Disconnect from your home Wi-Fi and open the same website or game using mobile data or another trusted connection. If it fails on Wi-Fi but works on mobile data, the service itself is probably online. Different ISPs may apply the same block differently, so switching networks can sometimes restore access immediately.
3. Check Whether the Service Works Outside Spain
You can use a website-status service or ask someone outside Spain to test the same page. If it fails in Spain but works in France or the United Kingdom, the problem is more likely to be a regional network restriction than a global outage.
4. Check the Error Message
IP blocking may not display a clear warning. You may instead see:
ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT- Connection timed out
- Failed to reach server
- Authentication failed
- Upload failed
- Game server unavailable
- Images or other website assets failing to load
These errors can look exactly like a broken website or unstable internet connection.
5. Try Again After the Match
If the service starts working again without any changes on your side, the timing is another useful clue. OONI's research found that many disruptions ended shortly after matches, suggesting that some blocks were limited to broadcast periods.
How to Fix Websites or Games Blocked During LaLiga
Once you believe the problem is caused by network-level blocking rather than a real outage, try these options.
1. Switch to Another Network
The simplest solution is to change your connection. Try switching from home Wi-Fi to mobile data, or connect through another trusted network. Because ISPs may use different blocking rules and routes, a destination that is unreachable through one connection may work normally through another. This is useful when you need temporary access and do not want to change device settings.
2. Use a VPN
A VPN changes the route your traffic takes to reach the website or game server. Instead of connecting directly through your Spanish ISP, your device connects to a VPN server first, which then accesses the destination.
Without a VPN:
Your device โ Spanish ISP โ Blocked destination IP โ
With a VPN:
Your device โ VPN server โ Website or game โ
If the failure is caused by an IP restriction on your current network path, a VPN may restore access. You can try connecting to nearby servers in France, Germany, or the United Kingdom, then reopen the website, app, or game.
Try UFO VPN to fix the IP block in simple steps:
UFO VPN is an all-in-one VPN that offers unlimited access to 4K streaming like Netlfix, Disney Plus, no-ping gaming as PUBG, Roblox, CODM and social networking for YouTube, X, Facebook and more.
Unlock Pro Features
If you have upgraded to premium plan , feel free to enjoy premium servers for 4K streaming and advanced features like Kill Switch, Split Tunneling, and gaming acceleration. Your Mac is now fully optimized and protected. Inaddition to basic functions, we recommend you turn on
Verify Your IP Now
Use UFO VPN's " What is My IP " feature to see your new IP and location. This confirms your connection is secure, anonymous, and ready for safe browsing online anywhere at any time.
A VPN cannot fix a genuine server outage. If the website's own servers are offline, changing your network route will not bring them back.
3. Wait Until the Match Ends
If the service is not urgent, waiting may be the easiest option. Some restrictions appear to be associated with live match periods and may disappear after the broadcast ends. This is practical for non-essential websites, but less useful when you need access for gaming, work, authentication, or a paid service.
4. Report the Problem
If the same legitimate service repeatedly becomes inaccessible, report the issue to your internet provider and the affected website or app. Businesses and developers may not realize that users in Spain are losing access.
What Websites, Games & Apps Can Be Affected?
the Spanish football league (LaLiga) has been given special rights by the courts to ask ISPs to block any IPs they see fit, and the ISPs have to comply. This is not a DNS block, otherwise my game wouldn't be affected, it's an IP block.
Collateral blocking is not limited to streaming websites. Any service that relies on an affected IP address or shared infrastructure may experience problems.
๐ Regular Websites
OONI's research found affected domains across news websites, messaging services, humanitarian organizations, government-related sites, and other legitimate services. As a result, an unrelated website may suddenly stop loading during a football match.
Cloudflare-hosted websites are especially visible because many domains can share the same infrastructure. However, other hosting and cloud providers can also be affected.
๐ฎ Games and Game Servers
Gaming services have also been affected. Confirmed examples include Factorio, whose auth.factorio.com authentication endpoint became unreachable for some users in Spain, and the indie rhythm game Project Heartbeat, whose server was reported inaccessible during football match periods.
๐ฑ Apps and Messaging Services
OONI identified several messaging services among the affected domains, including WeChat, IM+, and Session. These examples show that ordinary apps and communication services can also be caught in the same IP-level blocking.
๐ป Cloud and Developer Services
The affected infrastructure has included major providers such as Cloudflare, Amazon Web Services, Akamai, Microsoft, Alibaba Cloud, Squarespace, Hostinger, and Sucuri. When these platforms are affected, services built on top of them can become temporarily unavailable as well.
Will Changing DNS Fix LaLiga Blocking?
Usually not if the destination IP itself is blocked.
DNS translates a domain name such as example.com into an IP address. Changing to Google DNS or Cloudflare DNS can help when your ISP is blocking the domain at the DNS level.
However, if the process is: example.com โ IP address โ IP blocked โ
then changing DNS will not necessarily help. Your device may find the correct IP address but still be unable to connect to it.
Is Cloudflare Blocked in Spain?
No. Cloudflare is not permanently blocked in Spain. A more accurate explanation is that certain Cloudflare IP addresses may become unreachable on some Spanish networks during anti-piracy enforcement periods. Cloudflare receives particular attention because its infrastructure is heavily shared. According to OONI's study, 501,305 affected domains were associated with Cloudflare, even though the domains were mapped to only 2,218 blocked Cloudflare IP addresses.
LaLiga says the targeted IPs are used to distribute unauthorized content and that legitimate domains may be affected because they share the same infrastructure. In other words, Cloudflare itself is not blocked in Spain; only certain shared Cloudflare IP addresses may become temporarily inaccessible during LaLiga enforcement periods.
Does This Affect Every Internet Provider in Spain?
Not necessarily. The result can vary depending on your ISP, the targeted IP address, and the match period. OONI observed blocking across multiple Spanish networks but found differences in how consistently providers applied the restrictions. Its research found that Telefรณnica showed relatively consistent enforcement, while other operators displayed different patterns.
As a result, two people in Spain may open the same website at the same time and get different results:
User A โ Home ISP โ Website blocked โ
User B โ Different ISP โ Website loads โ
This is why switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data is a useful diagnostic step. A service that fails through your connection may still be available through another Spanish network.
Final Thoughts
If a website, game, or app suddenly stops working in Spain during a LaLiga match, do not immediately assume that the service itself is offline.
Check the timing, try another network, and see whether the service works outside your current connection. If the problem is caused by ISP-level IP blocking, switching networks or using a VPN such as UFO VPN may restore access.
FAQs
Can LaLiga blocking affect apps as well as websites?
Yes. Apps may depend on APIs, authentication systems, cloud storage, or CDN resources hosted on affected infrastructure. The app may open normally while login, uploads, or content loading fail.
Why does the website start working after the match?
Many observed blocking events follow football broadcast periods. Disruptions often stopped shortly after matches ended, so the IP may become reachable again without any changes to the website.
Will changing browsers fix the problem?
Usually not if the cause is IP-level blocking. Different browsers still connect through the same ISP and route to the same destination IP.
Does this mean the website itself is down?
Not really. If the website works through another network or country, the server is probably still online. The problem may be the connection between your ISP and the destination.
