Four years on from Argentina’s thrilling final victory over France in Qatar, the World Cup is back and bigger than ever before. Running from June 11 to July 19, the tournament has expanded to include 48 teams, with 104 games being played across 16 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Here’s your complete guide to watching the FIFA World Cup 2026 online and from anywhere.
The friendlies are over, the teams are settled at their bases and the biggest World Cup in history is set to get underway. European champions Spain are seen by many as the favourites on the back of their Euro 2024 win, and with players like Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Rodri in their squad you can see why.
However, Luis de la Fuente’s side will face plenty of competition, not least from neighbours France. Beaten finalists in 2022, Les Bleus have arguably the most talented frontline at the tournament. Kylian Mbappé, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé is an embarrassment of riches that could carry them to a second World Cup in three tournaments.
Other nations that will believe they can lift the FIFA World Cup Trophy are five-time winners Brazil and Euro 2024 runners-up England. Defending champions Argentina remain a global force, even with Lionel Messi’s powers starting to wane, while the ageless Cristiano Ronaldo will have full belief that he can fire Portugal to victory.
You won’t want to miss any of the action, so read on below for more info on when, where and how to watch every second of the 2026 World Cup.
What countries are showing the FIFA World Cup for free?
The World Cup will be shown in its entirety for free in the UK on BBC and ITV. Australia will also have every game for free with SBS On Demand.
The World Cup will also be free-to-air in multiple other countries across the globe including Brazil on CazéTV’s YouTube , Belgium on RTBF and VRT, Ireland on RTE Player the Netherlands on NOS, Switzerland on SRF Play, RTS Play and RSI Play, and Turkey on TRT.
Those away from home this summer can still stream all of the tournament on their home streaming service thanks to Norton VPN.
How to stream the FIFA World Cup 2026 elsewhere
If you’re going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch the World Cup 2026, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your major sporting events like the World Cup 2026 or other content even if you’re not there. One of our favourites is Norton VPN.
How to stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in the UK
In the UK, all 104 games will be shown for FREE on the BBC and ITV.
In order to stream the matches you will need a TV license and a valid UK postcode for an account (e.g. SE1 7PB).
Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman will lead BBC’s coverage, with pundits including Micah Richards, Joe Hart, Steph Houghton, Wayne Rooney, César Azpilicueta and Alan Shearer.
ITV also boasts a stacked presenting team, with Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods fronting the coverage, alongside former players and managers such as Roy Keane, Ian Wright, Gary Neville, Patrick Vieira and Ange Postecoglou.
Norton VPN can unlock your stream if you’re abroad for any games during the tournament.
How to stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in the US
Every game of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be shown on Fox and FS1.
The best way to access these is via cord-cutting services such as YouTube TV (free trial), Hulu+Live TV (free trial), Sling, Fubo (free trial) or DirecTV (free trial).
Fox One ($19.99/month) also provides full coverage with the streaming service carrying both Fox and FS1.
Away from the US during the tournament? You can still watch your World Cup stream thanks to Norton VPN (try for 60 days).
How to stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in Australia
Football fans in Australia will be able to watch all of the action from the 2026 World Cup for free via SBS On Demand.
SBS On Demand requires an account with a valid Aussie postcode (e.g. 2000)
Traveling for work or on holiday? A VPN like Norton VPN can help unlock your free stream.
FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule
Here is the full schedule for the FIFA World Cup 2026, running from June 11 to July 19.
FIFA World Cup 2026 groups
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
- Group B: Canada, Qatar, Switzerland, Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
- Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Sweden
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, DR Congo
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
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