The FIFA World Cup has officially begun, four years after Argentina’s victory, and Lionel Messi and his team are attempting to defend their title in front of a packed field. We look at viewing options and put together everything you need to know about where to watch the World Cup, including free and global streaming
The FIFA World Cup has officially begun, four years after Argentina’s victory, and Lionel Messi and his team are attempting to defend their title in front of a packed field. We look at viewing options and put together everything you need to know about where to watch the World Cup, including free and global streaming options for every match.
If you don’t want to travel further, we’ve got you covered. You can live stream all the games on FOX and FS1 via FOX One or a live TV service in the US, for free on SBS On Demand in Australia, and for free on BBC iPlayer and ITVX in the UK, among many other viewing options around the world (which we’ll break down below). You can access your streaming options from anywhere with the help of a VPN. Continue reading to learn more about the tournament, whether you want to watch from home or attend in person.
Where to watch the World Cup for free
Several countries around the world offer free access to World Cup coverage. In Australia, all matches will be available for free on SBS On Demand. In the UK, all matches will be split between BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
Other regions offer select games for free, often focusing on their national team and major final tournament matches, while the rest are available through a paid service. In Spain, some selected matches will be available for free on RTVE Play. In Italy, RaiPlay will offer free coverage of selected matches. M6 offers some free matches in France. Tabii in Türkiye also has many free live streams in Arabic.
Want access to some of these free options to watch the World Cup from outside of the countries mentioned above? Below, we’ll show you how to get around those geographic restrictions.
How to watch the World Cup from anywhere
Football fans who are far from where their streaming service operates during marquee matches can still access their free viewing options with the help of a VPN. Short for virtual private networks, VPNs are useful technological tools that allow people to temporarily change the virtual location of their electronic devices. They are popular with people looking to improve their cybersecurity and stay up to date with their usual websites and apps while traveling abroad.
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Where to watch the World Cup in the United States
All 104 World Cup matches will air on FOX or Fox Sports 1 (FS1) in the U.S. FOX offers a streaming counterpart, FOX One, for $20 a month with a three-day free trial. You can also sign up for the service as an add-on to Prime Video. If you’re looking for a service with extra channels or a longer free trial, one of the best live TV streaming services we’ve tested might be interesting to you.
Fubo offers FOX and FS1 coverage on its Sports + News plan, along with more than 25 other key channels. The streaming package also unlocks unlimited access to ESPN. Sports + News costs $56 a month, but new users can get it $10 off your first month after a five-day free trial. FOX and FS1 are also available on the Pro and Elite plan.
YouTube TV is another live TV service with extensive coverage from FOX and FS1. A special offer can help new users get $75 off YouTube TV for five months (That’s a discount of $15 per month every month for a five-month period.) The sale reduces the price of YouTube TV’s main plan from $83 per month to just $68 per month. There’s also a sports plan with FOX and FS1, which costs $65 a month, but new users can get it. $10 off per month for your first 12 months. The live TV service usually offers a free trial for new customers.
If you’re looking for Spanish coverage, Telemundo has the broadcast rights in the US and all 104 games are available to stream on Peacock with Spanish commentary. Peacock Sports tiers start at $11 per month for Peacock Premium, but you’ll also be able to watch the first few days of the tournament with a reduced Select plan.
Where to watch the World Cup in the UK
All World Cup matches will be available free of charge in the UK. Coverage is split between BBC and ITV, meaning fans can live stream all matches via a combination of BBC iPlayer and ITVX. These are free streaming options that only require creating an account to watch.
Where to watch the World Cup in Australia
It’s good news in Australia. All 104 World Cup matches will be available in one place, across SBS, SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand. That means you can live stream all the games via SBS On Demand, which only requires creating an account if you’re not logged in yet.
Where to watch the World Cup in Spain
RTVE will broadcast several matches from the World Cup in Spain. This means that fans will be able to watch live coverage for free on RTVE Play. You’ll just need to create an account and you’ll be ready to start watching. The coverage will favor the matches with the Spanish team, along with other notable matchups. Soccer fans in Spain who want to watch every World Cup match will need a paid subscription through DAZN.
Where to watch the World Cup in Italy
Some matches will be broadcast on RAI in Italy, meaning coverage will be available to stream for free via Rai Play. Italian FIFA fans who want to watch every World Cup match will need a paid subscription to DAZN, which will give them access to all 104 matches.
Where to watch the World Cup in Germany
In Germany, select coverage of the World Cup will be available free of charge on ARD and ZDF. For complete German coverage of the entire tournament, including all the first group stage matches, fans will need a paid subscription to MagentaTV.
Which countries were eliminated in the group stage?
16 teams were eliminated after the group stage and 32 advanced to the first knockout round. Curacao, Czechia, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, New Zealand, Panama, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, South Korea, Tunisia, Türkiye, Uruguay and Uzbekistan were eliminated in the group stage.
Where will the 2026 FIFA World Cup take place?
Normally, the FIFA World Cup is hosted by a single country (except Japan and South Korea in 2002), but the 2026 tournament will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States. In Canada, Toronto and Vancouver serve as host cities. In Mexico, host cities include Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey. US host cities include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The final, scheduled for July 19, will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Is this a bigger World Cup than in previous years?
If you’ve been looking at your TV guide and thinking there’s a lot of games and teams, you are not alone. 2026 marks the largest FIFA World Cup tournament to date. The tournament was expanded from 32 to 48 teams, almost doubling the number of scheduled matches. This change increased the number of teams and groups in the group stage and means that the playoffs begin with a new round of 32 before the round of 16.
Who is the favorite to win the FIFA World Cup?
Heading into the tournament, Spain was the favorite to win the FIFA World Cup. On DraftKings (before the start of the World Cup), Spain led with +450, followed by France (+475), England (+700), Portugal (+800), Brazil (+950) and Argentina (+950).
Previous FIFA World Cup winners
Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, won the 2022 World Cup. Previous winners include France (2018), Germany (2014), Spain (2010), Italy (2006), Brazil (2002), France (1998), Brazil (1994), West Germany (1990), Argentina (1986), Italy (1982), Argentina (1978), West Germany (1974), Brazil (1970), England (1966), Brazil (1962), Brazil. (1958), West Germany (1954), Uruguay (1950), Italy (1938), Italy (1934) and Uruguay (1930).
When and where will the next men’s World Cup be?
The next FIFA Men’s World Cup will take place in 2030. Most games will take place in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with one match each in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. These South American games are in honor of the centenary of the first FIFA World Cup, which was held in Uruguay in 1930.
When and where is the Women’s World Cup?
The next FIFA Women’s World Cup is scheduled for 2027. Brazil will host the tournament for the first time. Spain is the most recent winner of the women’s World Cup, beating England 1-0 in the 2023 final. Before that, the United States won consecutively in 2019 and 2015.
How do you get tickets for the World Cup?
Getting tickets to the World Cup has not proven to be an easy task. The tournament is incredibly popular and the initial release of FIFA entries was a bit confusing. Our team has found that some of the best prices and variety of seats come from the resale market right now. You can get more information in our World Cup ticket guide.
FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule
Note: Using VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content may violate the terms of use of some services. Business Insider does not endorse or condone illegal VPN use.