Where can I watch the World Cup?

The FIFA World Cup is normally the pinnacle of the sporting calendar – a quadrennial celebration of the most popular sport ever created, and a uniquely unifying force.

An estimated five billion people watched the 2022 final, which dwarfs viewing figures for the Olympics opening ceremony or the Champions League final.

Unfortunately, the 2026 World Cup has had a very difficult gestation, even compared to regrettable predecessors in Russia and Qatar.

There are more armed conflicts currently taking place worldwide than at any time since World War II, so bonhomie among rival fans is likely to be in short supply.

Co-host America is at war with Iran, even though it’s supposed to be hosting the latter’s three group games against New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt.

America have to play a grudge match against Turkey, though they did avoid Iran in the draw, and other potential flashpoint draws like Iraq or Colombia.

(Denmark and Venezuela failed to qualify, which is possibly for the best.)

Canada and Mexico’s relationship with their larger neighbour is very poor at the moment, which makes their shared-host status awkward.

Meanwhile, organising body FIFA never misses an own goal, genuflecting to Donald Trump during a shambolic first-round draw made worse by the sheer number of participants.

For financial reasons (rather than sporting ones), this World Cup features 64 countries and an attritional 104 games, with 29 consecutive matchdays in the early stages.

With as many as six games taking place each day, the fixture list is clogged by minnow nations showcasing little footballing pedigree – Curacao, Qatar, Haiti.

It’s questionable how many Europeans plan to stay up til 3am to watch DR Congo play Uzbekistan, or Cape Verde take on Saudi Arabia.

Yet the sheer volume of matches will ensure the 2026 World Cup offers an unprecedented quantity of entertainment, even if the quality is patchy.

These are the places you’ll be able to find coverage, starting with traditional broadcasting channels…

Terrestrial TV

As one of the UK’s Crown Jewels sporting events, the World Cup will be aired in its entirety on either the BBC or ITV – and on one occasion, both.

The light channel is showing 29 group-stage matches, including England’s first game against Croatia and Scotland’s clash with Morocco, as well as the opening ceremony and the first match.

The BBC will show the other two Scotland games (including their defeat by Brazil) and England’s R32, R16 and semi-final matches, should Thomas Tuchel’s ponderous team survive that long.

The final, which neither home nation is likely to be involved in, will be simulcast by both broadcasters in a head-to-head ratings war the BBC usually wins comfortably.

Other broadcasters

If you live or travel around the world or want to use a VPN to spoof your identity, each country has its own FIFA-approved broadcaster/s for the 2026 World Cup.

Many nations have replicated the UK’s split rights; Germany has three broadcasters sharing coverage, while South Korea has four and Mongolia has five.

Some broadcasters have acquired the rights to multiple countries. South American audiences will all be watching on Disney+, while DAZN acquired rights in Spain, Italy and Japan.

Generally, state broadcasters are involved to some extent, such as SVT in Sweden and SABC in South Africa, though both will share coverage with commercial partners.

Social media

We live in an age of social media ubiquity, leading to absurdities like FIFA allowing the first ten minutes of games to be livestreamed on the YouTube channels of partner organisations.

This is a result of YouTube’s ‘preferred platform’ status, giving creators greater access to the tournament. You can also expect YouTube highlights, interviews and archive footage.

China failed to reach the 2026 World Cup after losing to Indonesia, but TikTok will be featuring parts of live matches in a dedicated hub as well as ‘custom filters and stickers’.

There’ll also be the inevitable glut of Instagram/Facebook/X/Threads content from individuals and influencers, though this is generally recorded on smartphones and should be avoided.