The 2026 FIFA World Cup has kicked off, and if you haven't sorted out how to watch it yet, you're already behind. The good news: you don't need a cable subscription, and depending on how creative you get, you might not need to spend much at all.
Today's opening fixtures set the tone — Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina at 3 p.m. ET, followed by USA vs. Paraguay at 9 p.m. ET. Both are available to stream right now if you know where to look.
Your streaming options, ranked by cost
In the US, Fox holds the main English-language rights — 70 matches including everything from the Round of 16 to the Final. FS1 picks up an additional 34 games. For Spanish-language coverage, Telemundo carries 92 matches and Universo takes the other 12.
Here's what each streaming option actually costs:
- Fox One — $20/month, streams every Fox match in one app. Cleanest option if you just want the games.
- Sling Select — $30/month, gets you Fox and FS1. Cheapest cable-replacement option.
- Fubo — $45.99 for the first month, then $55.99. Add $5/month for 4K if you want the full living room experience.
- DirecTV MySports — $50/month for the first two months. Covers Fox and FS1.
- YouTube TV Sports package — $65/month, a cheaper tier than their standard $83 plan.
- Peacock Premium — $10.99/month for Telemundo and Universo Spanish-language coverage.
- Hulu — $90/month base for Fox and FS1. Spanish add-ons stack up fast — Telemundo costs an extra $11.99/month on top of that, which is hard to justify.
If you're only planning to watch the group stage and a few knockouts, a free trial might cover you. Fubo offers seven days free; Hulu gives you three. Neither gets you through the whole tournament, but they'll cover the opening week without spending a penny.
Free streaming and VPN workarounds
FIFA+ will stream select matches at no cost on their website. FIFA and YouTube also struck a deal to broadcast the first 10 minutes of games and a handful of full matches free on YouTube. Tubi — Fox's free streaming platform — will carry Mexico vs. South Africa (June 11) and USA vs. Paraguay (June 12) without a subscription.
That's a thin free offering for a 104-game tournament. But a VPN opens up more options than most people realize.
UK viewers get the whole thing on BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub for free. France has L'Equipe TV and TF1 Player. Ireland has RTÉ Player. Spain has RTVE Play. With a VPN set to the right server, those broadcasts are accessible from the US — and services like Proton VPN and TunnelBear have free tiers that can handle it. VPN compatibility can be patchy and changes without warning, but it's worth trying before you commit to a monthly sub.
The full group stage picture
The tournament spans 16 cities across Canada, Mexico, and the United States — the first time three nations have co-hosted a World Cup. The 48-team format means 12 groups of four, with the group stage running through June 27 before knockout rounds begin June 28. The final is Sunday, July 19.
The groups shake out like this:
- 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, Curaçao, 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
Three separate opening ceremonies are spread across the host nations — Toronto at 1:30 p.m. ET and Los Angeles at 7:30 p.m. ET on June 12, with acts including Shakira, J Balvin, and Burna Boy in Mexico City; Michael Bublé and Alanis Morissette in Toronto; and Katy Perry and Future headlining the LA show. Each ceremony starts 90 minutes before kickoff and is available on any service carrying Fox or Telemundo.
The cheapest clean path to watching the whole tournament is Fox One at $20/month. Everything else is paying more for bundled channels you probably won't touch.
