The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off June 11, and if you haven't sorted your streaming setup yet, you're already behind. Forty-eight nations, 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and a final on July 19 — this is the biggest World Cup in history by format, and watching it shouldn't require a cable subscription you cancelled three years ago.
Here's how to catch every match, what it'll cost you, and where you can squeeze in some games for free.
Your paid streaming options — ranked by value
In the US, Fox holds the English-language rights to 70 matches including everything from the Round of 16 onward. FS1 carries another 34. Spanish-language coverage splits between Telemundo (92 games) and Universo (12), both under NBCUniversal. So whatever service you choose, check it covers the right channels before you commit.
- Fox One — $20/month. Fox's own app, one place, every Fox-broadcast match. The cleanest option if you only want English coverage.
- Sling Select — $30/month. Cheapest route to both Fox and FS1.
- Fubo — $45.99 first month, then $55.99. Add $5/month for 4K streams if your TV can handle it.
- DirecTV MySports — $50/month for the first two months. Gets you Fox and FS1 without the full package price.
- YouTube TV Sports — $65/month. A recent cheaper tier that still includes Fox and FS1.
- Hulu Live — $90/month. The most expensive option here. Spanish-language add-ons stack up fast — Telemundo alone is an extra $11.99/month, which is hard to justify.
- Peacock Premium — $10.99/month. Only useful if Spanish-language coverage via Telemundo and Universo is your priority.
Free trials exist but won't carry you far. Fubo offers 7 days, Hulu gives you 3. That's enough for the group stage opener, not a tournament run.
Genuinely free options — with limits
FIFA+ will stream select matches at no cost on their website. FIFA and YouTube have a deal letting rights holders broadcast the first 10 minutes of games plus a handful of full matches on YouTube. Tubi — Fox's free streaming platform — aired the June 11 Mexico vs. South Africa and June 12 USA vs. Paraguay matches for free.
None of these get you through the whole tournament. They're useful for dipping in, not for following your team from group stage to final.
A VPN changes the equation slightly. BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, France's TF1 Player, Ireland's RTÉ Player, and Spain's RTVE Play all offer free World Cup streams in their respective countries. Spoof your location to a UK server and iPlayer opens up. Free VPN options — Proton VPN and TunnelBear among them — mean you don't even have to pay for the privilege. Just know that streaming platforms update their geo-blocking regularly, so what works today might not work next week.
Today's schedule alone features Czechia vs. South Africa, Switzerland vs. Bosnia, Canada vs. Qatar, and Mexico vs. Korea. The group stage runs through June 27, knockouts begin June 28, and the final is July 19 in one of 16 cities spanning three countries. The full schedule is on FIFA's website — USA's next match is June 19 against Australia in Seattle, if that's the one you're planning around.
At $20/month, Fox One is the most straightforward call for English-language viewers. Everything else is either overkill or a workaround.
