How to watch the 2026 World Cup free in the UK

Updated for the tournament · every match, no subscription

Here is the single best thing about the 2026 World Cup if you live in the United Kingdom: every one of the 104 matches is free to watch. There is no paywall, no day pass and no streaming subscription to buy. The whole tournament is shared between the BBC and ITV, both of which are free-to-air, because the World Cup is one of the UK's legally protected "listed events" that must be available to everyone.

Which channel shows which match?

The BBC and ITV split the 104 fixtures between them and announced the division in December 2025. As a rough guide, ITV broadcasts the opening match and a large share of the marquee group games (including England's openers against Croatia and Panama, and Scotland against Morocco), while the BBC carries England's group game with Ghana and many of the later knockout picks. The simplest way to find the channel for any specific game is to use the fixtures list on our home page, where every match shows its confirmed broadcaster and a direct link to watch.

Watching on television

If you have a normal TV aerial, satellite or cable box, you already have BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1 and ITV4. Simply turn over at kick-off. Many of the bigger games are also shown in Ultra HD on BBC iPlayer for those with a compatible smart TV. You will need a valid TV licence to watch or stream live BBC content, as you would for any live television in the UK.

Streaming on your phone, tablet or laptop

Both broadcasters stream every one of their matches online:

• BBC iPlayer – free, but you will be asked to sign in with a free BBC account and confirm you have a TV licence the first time.
• ITVX – ITV's free streaming service, which also carries every ITV match live. A free ITVX account is required the first time you stream.

Both apps are available on phones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, games consoles and streaming sticks. Create your free accounts before the tournament starts so you are not fumbling with a password at kick-off.

Listening on the radio

Prefer the radio, or stuck at work? The BBC carries live commentary on every match across BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra (the exact station for a given game is confirmed in BBC Sounds on the day, because the two stations cover overlapping kick-offs). talkSPORT also broadcasts commentary on selected matches. Every fixture on our home page has a Radio button linking all three.

Kick-off times

The tournament is played in the United States, Canada and Mexico, so kick-off times in the UK are mostly evening and late night because of the time difference. England's matches, for example, kick off at 9pm and 10pm UK time. All times shown across this site are already converted to UK time, so there is no mental arithmetic required.

Watching from outside the UK

If you are abroad during the tournament, BBC iPlayer and ITVX are geo-restricted to the UK. The main rights holders elsewhere include FOX Sports and Telemundo in the United States, TSN and CTV in Canada, and a range of broadcasters in other countries – some free, some subscription. FIFA publishes an official where-to-watch guide listing the broadcaster for every territory.