How to watch World Cup 2026 – watch from anywhere, including free options
It's time for the 2026 World Cup – here's how to watch from anywhere
Quick Summary
World Cup 2026 runs from June 11 to July 19, with the knockouts beginning on June 28. Spain and France are the pre-tournament favourites.
For the past four years, and very different reasons, World Cup 2026 has been the only thing standing between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and retirement. Messi was set to bow out on top when Argentina triumphed in Qatar but the Flea couldn't resist another shot at glory, while CR7 knows he'll never rest easy if football's greatest prize continues to elude him. Especially now his arch-rival has got there first.
As far as subplots go, it's not a bad one. It's somewhat fitting, however, that both Messi and Ronaldo could well be relegated to the sidelines – metaphorically, rather than literally – at this summer's tournament. While they can each still deliver magic moments, it's hard to escape the sense that they're each now holding their respective nations back by stunting the next generation of Argentine and Portuguese players.
The Spain team, by contrast, looks like a far more cohesive unit, with twin playmakers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams acting predominantly as providers rather than finishers. That emphasis on team above individual is one of the prime reasons La Roja, the reigning European champions, are the pre-tournament favourites.
France, who went all the way in Russia before falling to Argentina in the final four years ago via a penalty shootout, are a close second. Although Kylian Mbappe's defensive efforts leave a lot to be desired, he's already an all-time World Cup great who could feasibly break Miroslav Klose's goalscoring record this summer. Having the core of the back-to-back Champions League-winning PSG team at the heart of the side frees up the skipper to do his thing.
It promises to be a tournament to remember, so make sure you tune in from wherever you are in the world.
When and where is World Cup 2026 taking place?
The 2026 World Cup is taking place in Mexico, Canada and the US, from Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, July 19. Scroll down for the full schedule of fixtures.
There are 16 venues in total: Estadio Azteca, Estadio BBVA and Estadio Akron in Mexico, BC Place and BMO Field in Canada, and MetLife Stadium, AT&T Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, NRG Stadium, Levi's Stadium, SoFi Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, Lumen Field, Gillette Stadium and Hard Rock Stadium in the US.
How to watch World Cup 2026 for free
Free World Cup 2026 coverage is available in multiple places, but here are some key options to note in the UK, Australia and Ireland.
- UK: BBC iPlayer & ITVX
- Australia: SBS on Demand
- Ireland: RTÉ Player
How to watch World Cup 2026 in the UK
In the UK, every game of the World Cup is free-to-air on either BBC iPlayer or ITVX.
How to watch World Cup 2026 in the US
In the US, every game of the World Cup is being televised by either Fox or FS1.
How to watch World Cup 2026 from anywhere
What is the World Cup 2026 schedule?
Group Stage
Thursday, 11th June
8pm – Mexico vs South Africa (ITVX)
Friday, 12th June
3am – South Korea vs Czech Republic (ITVX)
8pm – Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (BBC iPlayer)
Saturday, 13th June
2am – USA vs Paraguay (BBC iPlayer)
8pm – Qatar vs Switzerland (ITVX)
11pm – Brazil vs Morocco (BBC iPlayer)
Sunday, 14th June
2am – Haiti vs Scotland (BBC iPlayer)
5am – Australia vs Turkey (ITVX)
6pm – Germany vs Curacao (ITVX)
9pm – Netherlands vs Japan (ITVX)
Monday, 15th June
12am – Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (BBC iPlayer)
3am – Sweden vs Tunisia (ITVX)
5pm – Spain vs Cape Verde (ITVX)
8pm – Belgium vs Egypt (BBC iPlayer)
11pm – Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (ITVX)
Tuesday, 16th June
2am – Iran vs New Zealand (BBC iPlayer)
8pm – France vs Senegal (BBC iPlayer)
11pm – Iraq vs Norway (BBC iPlayer)
Wednesday, 17th June
2am – Argentina vs Algeria (ITVX)
5am – Austria vs Jordan (BBC iPlayer)
6pm – Portugal vs DR Congo (BBC iPlayer)
9pm – England vs Croatia (ITVX)
Thursday, 18th June
12am – Ghana vs Panama (ITVX)
3am – Uzbekistan vs Colombia (BBC iPlayer)
5pm – Czech Republic vs South Africa (BBC iPlayer)
8pm – Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina (ITVX)
11pm – Canada vs Qatar (ITVX)
Friday, 19th June
2am – Mexico vs South Korea (BBC iPlayer)
8pm – USA vs Australia (BBC iPlayer)
11pm – Scotland vs Morocco (ITVX)
Saturday, 20th June
2am – Brazil vs Haiti (ITVX)
5am – Turkey vs Paraguay (ITVX)
6pm – Netherlands vs Sweden (BBC iPlayer)
9pm – Germany vs Ivory Coast (ITVX)
Sunday, 21st June
1am – Ecuador vs Curacao (BBC iPlayer)
5am – Tunisia vs Japan (BBC iPlayer)
5pm – Spain vs Saudi Arabia (BBC iPlayer)
8pm – Belgium vs Iran (ITVX)
11pm – Uruguay vs Cape Verde (BBC iPlayer)
Monday, 22nd June
2am – New Zealand vs Egypt (ITVX)
6pm – Argentina vs Austria (BBC iPlayer)
10pm – France vs Iraq (BBC iPlayer)
Tuesday, 23rd June
1am – Norway vs Senegal (ITVX)
4am – Jordan vs Algeria (ITVX)
6pm – Portugal vs Uzbekistan (ITVX)
9pm – England vs Ghana (BBC iPlayer)
Wednesday, 24th June
12am – Panama vs Croatia (BBC iPlayer)
3am – Colombia vs DR Congo (ITVX)
8pm – Switzerland vs Canada (ITVX)
8pm – Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Qatar (ITVX)
11pm – Morocco vs Haiti (BBC iPlayer)
11pm – Scotland vs Brazil (BBC iPlayer)
Thursday, 25th June
2am – South Africa vs South Korea (BBC iPlayer)
2am – Czech Republic vs Mexico (BBC iPlayer)
9pm – Curacao vs Ivory Coast (BBC iPlayer)
9pm – Ecuador vs Germany (BBC iPlayer)
Friday, 26th June
12am – Tunisia vs Netherlands (BBC iPlayer)
12am – Japan vs Sweden (BBC iPlayer)
3am – Turkey vs USA (ITVX)
3am – Paraguay vs Australia (ITVX)
8pm – Norway vs France (ITVX)
8pm – Senegal vs Iraq (ITVX)
Saturday, 27th June
1am – Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia (ITVX)
1am – Uruguay vs Spain (ITVX)
4am – New Zealand vs Belgium (BBC iPlayer)
4am – Egypt vs Iran (BBC iPlayer)
10pm – Panama vs England (ITVX)
10pm – Croatia vs Ghana (ITVX)
Sunday, 28th June
12.30am – Colombia vs Portugal (BBC iPlayer)
12.30am – DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (BBC iPlayer)
3am – Algeria vs Austria (BBC iPlayer)
3am – Jordan vs Argentina (BBC iPlayer)
Knockout Stage
Round of 32
Sunday, 28th June
8pm – A2 vs B2
Monday, 29th June
6pm – C1 vs F2
9.30pm – E1 vs A/B/C/D/F3
Tuesday, 30th June
2am – F1 vs C2
6pm – E2 vs I2
10pm – I1 vs C/D/F/G/H3
Wednesday, 1st July
2am – A1 vs C/E/F/H/I3
5pm – L1 vs E/H/I/J/K3
9pm – G1 vs A/E/H/I/J3
Thursday, 2nd July
1am – D1 vs B/E/F/I/J3
8pm – H1 vs J2
Friday, 3rd July
12am – K2 vs L2
4am – B1 vs E/F/G/I/J3
7pm – D2 vs G2
11pm – J1 vs H2
Saturday, 4th July
2.30am – K1 vs D/E/I/J/L3
Round of 16
Saturday, 4th July
6pm – Round of 16 game 1
10pm – Round of 16 game 2
Sunday, 5th July
9pm – Round of 16 game 3
Monday, 6th July
1am – Round of 16 game 4
8pm – Round of 16 game 5
Tuesday, 7th July
1am – Round of 16 game 6
5pm – Round of 16 game 7
9pm – Round of 16 game 8
Quarter-finals
Thursday, 9th July
9pm – Quarter-final 1
Friday, 10th July
8pm – Quarter-final 2
Saturday, 11th July
10pm – Quarter-final 3
Sunday, 12th July
2am – Quarter-final 4
Semi-finals
Tuesday, 14th July
8pm – Semi-final 1
Wednesday, 15th July
8pm – Semi-final 2
Third-place playoff
Saturday, 18th July
10pm – Third-place playoff
Final
Sunday, 19th July
8pm – 2026 FIFA World Cup final
(All times BST)
