Every four years the world comes together for the biggest sporting event on Earth. Football. Or soccer, if you’re in the United States. So you’re right to ask how to watch World Cup 2022, especially given the state of the planet, the state of streaming, and exactly where the next World Cup is going to be played.
Here’s the deal: There are 64 men’s matches being played in Qatar, with the winning nation claiming bragging rights for the next four years. Newcomers will have a shot against seasoned veterans. There will be upsets. There will be surprises. There will be goals galore.
This year’s World Cup is taking place in an interesting part of the world — Qatar. That means it’s going to be a relatively warm one, with the average temperature in that nation in the mid-80s in November. Yes, you read that right: World Cup 2022 isn’t happening in the summer in the northern hemisphere — it’s at the edge of winter. But it’s Qatar, so things are going to be warm.
World Cup 2022 also is apparently going to start a day earlier than originally planned. Instead of Senegal vs. the Netherlands kicking things off, it’ll be Qatar vs. Ecuador at 7 p.m. local time (11 a.m. Eastern) on Sunday November 20. That will give the host country center stage and allow for a proper opening ceremony and fireworks display.
The final match is still scheduled for 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, December 18.
In any event, you’re here to know how to actually watch things. And we’ve got answers.
How to stream World Cup 2022 for free
If you’re in the United States, you’ll be able to watch all 64 matches on either Fox or FS1. Both channels are available on every major streaming service in the United States, which is good, because it makes it super easy to stream World Cup 2022. And it’s a relatively even split, with 35 matches on Fox and 29 on FS1.
Here’s how things break down across the major services. (Note that broadcast availability — meaning Fox proper — may vary a little depending on where you live.)
- Hulu With Live TV: Fox on broadcast; FS1 available as part of the sole plan.
- YouTube TV: Fox on broadcast; FS1 available as part of the sole plan.
- Sling TV: Fox on broadcast; FS1 is available on the Sling Blue plan.
- DirecTV Stream: Fox on broadcast; FS1 available on all plans.
- FuboTV: Fox on broadcast; FS1 available on both plans.
Note that all of those streaming services have free trials, so you can watch the World Cup for free so long as those trials are active.
Every match also will be available on the Fox Sports app. That method requires a subscription to some other service — cable, satellite, or a livestreaming service. (What it doesn’t necessarily require is for that subscription to actually be yours.)
Watch World Cup content for free on Tubi
Tubi — the free and ad-supported streaming service (aka “FAST”) owned by Fox, also will have a ton of World Cup content. All 64 games available there in on-demand fasion, free of charge. And Tubi also has a fair amount of other on-demand World Cup content, too. Shows include:
- FIFA World Cup Classics
- FIFA Women’s World Cup Classics
- Gold Stars — The True Story
- When the World Watched
- Etched in Gold
They’re all available now, directly in the Tubi app. But Tubi also is rolling out a dedicated World Cup channel, appropriately (if a little awkwardly) called “FIFA World Cup FAST Channel.”
When does the United States play?
The World Cup field is divided into eight groups of four. The United States is in Group B, along with England, Wales, and Iran. That’s intriguing for all kinds of reasons. Wales and England are both members of the United Kingdom, of course. And Iran isn’t exactly on the friendliest of terms with the United States (or the UK, for that matter) — at least insofar as political purposes are concerned.
Here’s the full group play schedule for the USA. All times are Eastern, and all three first-round matches will be on Fox, which means they’ll be available on broadcast channels as well as streaming services.
- Monday, November 21: United States vs. Wales, 2 p.m.
- Friday, November 25: England vs. United States, 2 p.m.
- Tuesday, November 29: Iran vs. United States, 2 p.m.
Note that the match against England is on Black Friday in the United States. While it’s not an official holiday, it’s the biggest shopping day of the year and the day after the Thanksgiving holiday, when many people take an extra day off work.
“It’s fitting this tournament will take place during the holiday season because the draw was a gift to soccer fans everywhere, highlighted by the [United States men’s national soccer team’s] return and an epic rematch with England, alongside so many storied group stage matchups,” David Neal, executive producer of FIFA World Cup on Fox and vice president of production for Fox Sports. “Between global heavyweights playing each other early on and having the opportunity to present what could be the last FIFA World Cup for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Fox Sports is honored and excited to bring our world-class production to not only showcasing the matches, but also delivering nearly 100 hours of studio shows on linear alone around them.”
How to watch the World Cup in 4K
And this may well be best-looking World Cup in history, thanks to your television. You’ll be able to watch World Cup 2022 in 4K resolution a number of places.
Every match of this World Cup will be produced in 3K, Fox says. And you’ll be able to watch each match in 4K on the Fox Sports app, on YouTube TV, or on FuboTV.
If you want to use the Fox Sports app to watch matches in 4K, you’ll need to have a subscription to a cable, satellite or streaming service.
FuboTV throws in 4K content for free. You don’t have to pay anything extra for that luxury.
YouTube TV, on the other hand, requires you to also subscribe to its 4K Plus add-on if you want any 4K content, live or otherwise. You get the first month free — which covers the entirety of the World Cup. The 4K Plus option then costs $10 a month for the first year, and doubles to $20 a month after that. And in addition to some live sports, you’ll also find a number of on-demand programs available in 4K.
Regardless of which method you use, you’ll absolutely want to watch the World Cup in 4K. It’s so much better.
Watch the World Cup in Español
One could argue that American announcers just don’t have the same feel as what you’ll get in Spanish. (Or even UK English, for that matter.) Fortunately, you’ve got options to watch the World Cup in Spanish.
Telemundo Deportes is the exclusive Spanish-language home of the World Cup in the United States. It’ll broadcast all 64 matches live (56 on Telemundo, and eight on Universo because of simultaneous kickoffs), with Opening Ceremony coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET on Telemundo and Peacock.
Every match will have an hour of pre-game coverage. And with the initial group-stage matches, on-side coverage begins at 4 a.m. Eastern.
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