(Image Credit: Zooey Liao/PCMag Composite; Getty Images/ FIFA)
Every four years, fans from around the globe pack stadiums, living rooms, and bars to cheer their favorite teams in the world's most popular sport: football (soccer). The beautiful game reaches its competitive zenith once again when the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off in June, but you can get ready for the tournament right now by signing up for a video streaming service. I'll show you everything you need to know to stream the World Cup without a pricey cable subscription, including tips for watching it for free, VPN options, and essential information for watching the high-stakes tourney matchups.
This article was made possible in part by Proton VPN. It was written and edited independently without partner oversight.
When Is the 2026 World Cup?
Ready to don your team's kit and fly a flag? The World Cup 2026 kicks off on Thursday, June 11, with group stage matches beginning at 3 p.m. EST. From there, the tournament moves on to knockout matches, quarterfinals, and semifinals. The third-place match will take place on Saturday, July 18, while the final match will occur on Sunday, July 19. For more detailed schedule information, check out FIFA's website. Hopefully, your favorite team isn't booted early.
Which Country Is Hosting the 2026 World Cup?
In 2026, the tournament isn't hosted by a single country; instead, it's spread across North America. The World Cup will take place in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Vancouver.
The fact that numerous games are being held in the United States has raised concerns for some athletes and fans, given the current political tensions surrounding immigration and soccer's international fan base. High ticket prices are also a growing concern, making streaming the tournament a cost-effective option.
Where Can You Stream the 2026 World Cup?
In the United States, Fox Sports (Fox and FS1) will broadcast the World Cup live. So, if you use YouTube TV or any other live TV streaming service that can access those channels, you can watch the games as they happen. Besides YouTube TV, your options include DirecTV, Hulu, Fubo, Peacock, and Sling TV. Note that live TV streaming is pricey, with subscriptions approaching $100 per month.
However, YouTube TV has launched a lower-cost, $64.99 sports package with the necessary channels, making it a more affordable option for streaming the World Cup. It's a decent deal for live sports, considering that the average American cable package costs nearly $150 per month.
If you decide to watch the World Cup via streaming, remember there's time to get a big-screen television for watching the big goals. Pro tip: turn on your TV's motion-smoothing option for the best picture while watching sports. Just remember to turn it off before watching other TV shows and movies to avoid the awful "soap opera" effect.
Can You Stream the 2026 World Cup for Free?
Yes, but in a limited capacity. FIFA's free website, FIFA+, will stream select World Cup matches at no cost. FIFA and YouTube also announced a broadcast deal allowing rights holders to stream the first 10 minutes of games as well as a select number of full matches for free on their YouTube channel. That said, you can't rely on these methods to view the entire tournament. You still need one of the aforementioned video streaming platforms for that.
Another workaround is to sign up for a free trial of Hulu, YouTube TV, or another live TV streaming platform. However, those trials may not last long enough to catch the entire World Cup.
Can You Stream the World Cup Overseas for Free With a VPN?
A VPN not only helps you stay safe online, but also lets you spoof your location to a server in another country. A streaming-friendly VPN may also expand your choices for streaming the World Cup, especially if you want to listen in other languages or have a preferred commentary team.
More importantly, streaming platforms in other nations may offer free options unavailable in others, and a VPN may let you access at least some of them. For example, you can find free streams on Britain's BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub, France's L'Equipe TV and TF1 Player, Ireland's RTÉ Player and Virgin Media Play, and Spain's RTVE Play. You don't even have to pay for the VPN itself. Check out Proton VPN and our favorite free VPN services. That said, VPN compatibility can change at any time.
Which Countries Qualified for the 2026 World Cup?
Several qualifying World Cup teams were selected during the World Cup Draw and sorted into 12 groups. Each group consists of four countries, though a handful of squads have yet to play their qualifying matches for the round-robin tournament. Right now, the World Cup group stage is as follows:
- Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czechia
- Group B: Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
- Group D: United States, Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye
- Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
- Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
- Group I: France, Senegal, Iraq, Norway
- Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
- Group K: Portugal, Congo DR, Uzbekistan, Colombia
- Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
The 2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule
You can view the full 2026 World Cup match schedule on FIFA's website. Just want to know when Team USA is playing? We've highlighted their matches.
Group Stage
- June 11: Mexico v South Africa (Group A) – Mexico City Stadium
- June 11: Korea Republic v Czechia (Group A) – Estadio Guadalajara
- June 12: Canada v Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B) – Toronto Stadium
- June 12: USA v Paraguay (Group D) – Los Angeles Stadium
- June 13: Haiti v Scotland (Group C) – Boston Stadium
- June 13: Australia v Türkiye (Group D) – BC Place Vancouver
- June 13: Brazil v Morocco (Group C) – New York New Jersey Stadium
- June 13: Qatar v Switzerland (Group B) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
- June 14: Côte d'Ivoire v Ecuador (Group E) – Philadelphia Stadium
- June 14: Germany v Curaçao (Group E) – Houston Stadium
- June 14: Netherlands v Japan (Group F) – Dallas Stadium
- June 14: Sweden v Tunisia (Group F) – Estadio Monterrey
- June 15: Saudi Arabia v Uruguay (Group H) – Miami Stadium
- June 15: Spain v Cabo Verde (Group H) – Atlanta Stadium
- June 15: IR Iran v New Zealand (Group G) – Los Angeles Stadium
- June 15: Belgium v Egypt (Group G) – Seattle Stadium
- June 16: France v Senegal (Group I) – New York New Jersey Stadium
- June 16: Iraq v Norway (Group I) – Boston Stadium
- June 16: Argentina v Algeria (Group J) – Kansas City Stadium
- June 16: Austria v Jordan (Group J) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
- June 17: Ghana v Panama (Group L) – Toronto Stadium
- June 17: England v Croatia (Group L) – Dallas Stadium
- June 17: Portugal v Congo DR (Group K) – Houston Stadium
- June 17: Uzbekistan v Colombia (Group K) – Mexico City Stadium
- June 18: Czechia v South Africa (Group A) – Atlanta Stadium
- June 18: Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina (Group B) – Los Angeles Stadium
- June 18: Canada v Qatar (Group B) – BC Place Vancouver
- June 18: Mexico v Korea Republic (Group A) – Estadio Guadalajara
- June 19: Brazil v Haiti (Group C) – Philadelphia Stadium
- June 19: Scotland v Morocco (Group C) – Boston Stadium
- June 19: Türkiye v Paraguay (Group D) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
- June 19: USA v Australia (Group D) – Seattle Stadium
- June 20: Germany v Côte d'Ivoire (Group E) – Toronto Stadium
- June 20: Ecuador v Curaçao (Group E) – Kansas City Stadium
- June 20: Netherlands v Sweden (Group F) – Houston Stadium
- June 20: Tunisia v Japan (Group F) – Estadio Monterrey
- June 21: Uruguay v Cabo Verde (Group H) – Miami Stadium
- June 21: Spain v Saudi Arabia (Group H) – Atlanta Stadium
- June 21: Belgium v IR Iran (Group G) – Los Angeles Stadium
- June 21: New Zealand v Egypt (Group G) – BC Place Vancouver
- June 22: Norway v Senegal (Group I) – New York New Jersey Stadium
- June 22: France v Iraq (Group I) – Philadelphia Stadium
- June 22: Argentina v Austria (Group J) – Dallas Stadium
- June 22: Jordan v Algeria (Group J) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
- June 23: England v Ghana (Group L) – Boston Stadium
- June 23: Panama v Croatia (Group L) – Toronto Stadium
- June 23: Portugal v Uzbekistan (Group K) – Houston Stadium
- June 23: Colombia v Congo DR (Group K) – Estadio Guadalajara
- June 24: Scotland v Brazil (Group C) – Miami Stadium
- June 24: Morocco v Haiti (Group C) – Atlanta Stadium
- June 24: Switzerland v Canada (Group B) – BC Place Vancouver
- June 24: Bosnia and Herzegovina v Qatar (Group B) – Seattle Stadium
- June 24: Czechia v Mexico (Group A) – Mexico City Stadium
- June 24: South Africa v Korea Republic (Group A) – Estadio Monterrey
- June 25: Curaçao v Côte d'Ivoire (Group E) – Philadelphia Stadium
- June 25: Ecuador v Germany (Group E) – New York New Jersey Stadium
- June 25: Japan v Sweden (Group F) – Dallas Stadium
- June 25: Tunisia v Netherlands (Group F) – Kansas City Stadium
- June 25: Türkiye v USA (Group D) – Los Angeles Stadium
- June 25: Paraguay v Australia (Group D) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium
- June 26: Norway v France (Group I) – Boston Stadium
- June 26: Senegal v Iraq (Group I) – Toronto Stadium
- June 26: Egypt v IR Iran (Group G) – Seattle Stadium
- June 26: New Zealand v Belgium (Group G) – BC Place Vancouver
- June 26: Cabo Verde v Saudi Arabia (Group H) – Houston Stadium
- June 26: Uruguay v Spain (Group H) – Estadio Guadalajara
- June 27: Panama v England (Group L) – New York New Jersey Stadium
- June 28: Croatia v Ghana (Group L) – Philadelphia Stadium
- June 28: Algeria v Austria (Group J) – Kansas City Stadium
- June 28: Jordan v Argentina (Group J) – Dallas Stadium
- June 28: Colombia v Portugal (Group K) – Miami Stadium
- June 28: Congo DR v Uzbekistan (Group K) – Atlanta Stadium
What Is the Official Song of the FIFA World Cup 2026?
For 2026, each host city will produce its own remix of the official FIFA World Cup 26 Theme. The musicians chosen reflect the unique vibe of each city. For example, the Philadelphia remix was created by DJ Jazzy Jeff, while Tech N9ne tackled the Kansas City track. You can find the tunes on Spotify or other streaming music services.