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With more teams competing than ever before, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is shaping up to be one of the biggest sporting events ever. The action begins on Thursday, June 11, and continues through July 19 across the US, Canada, and Mexico, and there’s no shortage of ways to watch, as all games will be streamed live. But what are your options if you don’t have an expensive cable package?
You are in luck. There are several options for watching the World Cup for free or at low cost (or at least cheaper than regular cable). From free trials to free trials to affordable subscriptions, here’s a look at your best options for watching or streaming World Cup action without breaking your budget.
Also: Best live TV streaming services of 2026: Expert reviewed
How to stream the 2026 World Cup
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Best Buy/ZDNET
In case you forgot or never knew, over-the-air (OTA) TV is still a thing, and you can get all your local networks and more with a good old fashioned OTA antenna. Enter your address here to see what channels you can get.
These antennas, which won’t break the bank (our best cheap model option is this one from Best Buy for $20), plug into the cable input on the back of your TV. You won’t even get fancy features like pausing or recording, but you will be able to watch. Since Fox has the rights to broadcast the World Cup, most of the games will be available (70 out of 104). Your local Telemundo stations will probably broadcast the same in Spanish. You can check your local listing for times here.
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Fox/ZDNET
Fox has the rights to the World Cup this year, and you can stream it directly from the source. Fox One gives you three days free, after that it’s $20 a month. This is one of the cheapest options if you only want to watch the World Cup and don’t care about any other channels.
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Peacock/ZDNET
Peacock may be the cheapest way to broadcast the action, but it comes with a catch. You can stream all 104 games via Telemundo on Peacock, but the commentary will be in Spanish. You can get a subscription for around $10 a month, depending on which tier you choose, so you can get the entire World Cup for around $20. If you sign up for Walmart+ or sign up for Instacart+, you get Peacock, including the World Cup, for free.
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Tubi
If you just want to check out what’s happening here and there, Tubi, a free streaming service, will broadcast the opening ceremony and two matches live: Mexico vs. South Africa on Thursday, June 11, and the US Men’s National Team vs. Paraguay on Friday, June 12. Tubi will also offer play-by-play, fixed-game versions, highlights, and daily goals.
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heartradio
For audio-only experience, Fox has partnered with the iHeartRadio app to provide live English-language coverage of all 104 games of the 2026 World Cup. You can download this app on your Android or
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YouTube/ZDNET
YouTube TV is an incredibly popular live TV streaming service (and our pick for the best live TV streaming service overall) that will give you access to your local Fox channel and all the World Cup games. It offers a free 10-day trial. It’s usually $83 per month, but you can get it for $68 per month for the first three months if you’re a new user.
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Fubo/ZDNET
Fubo TV’s live TV service has a few bundles to choose from, and the sports bundle, which gets you the World Cup channels you need, starts at $56. There is a 5-day free trial if you want to test things out.
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Hulu/ZDNET
Hulu + Live TV gets you over 100 channels, including Fox, which you’ll need for the World Cup. It’s $90 a month, but that also gets you Disney+ and ESPN Select. There is a 3-day free trial.
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DirecTV/ZDNET
Like other services, DirecTV offers bundles that allow you to save money with a full subscription. In addition to the 5-day free trial, you can get an entertainment package to watch the World Cup for $60 per month in your first month.
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When is the 2026 World Cup?
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be held from Thursday, June 11, until Sunday, July 19. The soccer tournament will be hosted in the US, Canada, and Mexico, with 48 teams playing 104 matches.
What channel is the World Cup on?
Fox owns the rights to the 2026 World Cup, so the games will be broadcast live on the channel or streaming service Fox One, as well as several other Fox providers, such as YouTube TV, Fubo, and Hulu + Live TV.
