The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off today, June 11, and if you're scrambling for how to watch without paying a cable bill, you have more options than you might think — including a few free ones.
Group stage matches start at 3 p.m. ET with Mexico vs. South Africa in Mexico City. The tournament runs through July 19, when the final is played. That's five weeks of football spread across 16 cities in three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Where to stream — and what it'll cost you
In the US, Fox holds the English-language rights to 70 matches including everything from the Round of 16 onward, with FS1 carrying another 34. Spanish-language coverage splits between Telemundo (92 games) and Universo (12), both under NBCUniversal.
To watch without cable, here's what's available:
- Fox One — Fox's own streaming app at $20/month. Covers all Fox-broadcast matches in one place.
- Sling Select — $30/month gets you Fox and FS1. The cheapest cable-replacement option here.
- Fubo — $45.99 for the first month, $55.99 after. Includes a 4K add-on for $5/month extra.
- DirecTV MySports — $50/month base pack covers Fox and FS1 for the first two months.
- YouTube TV Sports package — $65/month, a cheaper alternative to the standard $83 plan.
- Peacock Premium — $10.99/month for Spanish-language coverage via Telemundo and Universo.
- Hulu — $90/month with Fox and FS1 included, though stacking Telemundo and Universo adds another $16.98/month on top. Expensive.
Fubo offers a 7-day free trial. Hulu gives you three days. Neither gets you through the whole tournament, but both can cover the opening week.
Free options that actually work
There are genuine free routes here, though none cover the full tournament. FIFA+ will stream select matches at no cost. Tubi — also Fox-owned — will carry Mexico vs. South Africa (June 11) and USA vs. Paraguay (June 12) for free. FIFA and YouTube struck a deal allowing rights holders to stream the first 10 minutes of games, plus a handful of full matches, on YouTube.
A VPN opens more doors. BBC iPlayer and ITV (UK), TF1 and L'Equipe TV (France), RTÉ Player (Ireland), and RTVE Play (Spain) all offer free coverage in their respective territories. Proton VPN and TunnelBear are free options worth trying — though streaming platform compatibility can change without warning.
Three opening ceremonies, one tournament
This year has three separate opening ceremonies — one per host nation. Mexico's kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET at Azteca Stadium on June 11, with Shakira, J Balvin, and Burna Boy among the performers. Canada's follows at 1:30 p.m. ET in Toronto on June 12, headlined by Michael Bublé and Alanis Morissette. The US ceremony closes things out at 7:30 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12, featuring Katy Perry and Future.
Each ceremony begins 90 minutes before its respective match. All are available on Fox or Telemundo depending on your language preference.
The groups at a glance
- 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
USA's group stage schedule: vs. Paraguay on June 12 at 9 p.m. ET in Los Angeles, vs. Australia on June 19 at 3 p.m. ET in Seattle, and vs. Türkiye on June 25 at 10 p.m. ET in Los Angeles. All three games on Fox.
The full schedule — all 104 matches — is on FIFA's official website. The official tournament theme gets a city-specific remix treatment, with DJ Jazzy Jeff handling Philadelphia's version and Tech N9ne on Kansas City's. Predictably niche. Available on Spotify if you're curious.
