The US didn’t make it to the 2018 World Cup, but sports fans in America can still watch teams from 32 other nations compete in the global soccer tournament that rivets the world every four years. (The World Cup is coming to the US, Mexico and Canada in 2026.)
When is the World Cup?
The competition kicks off June 14 and a winner will be crowned on July 15. The first match—Russia versus Saudi Arabia—is scheduled to start at 11am EST, with opening ceremonies beginning about 30 minutes beforehand.
How to watch the World Cup on English-language TV
Fox paid more than $400 million to air the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments in the US. Many of this year’s matches will be free to watch with a TV antenna: 38 will be shown live on broadcast TV network Fox, the most matches to air on English-language over-the-air TV. The other 26 games will be shown on Fox Sports 1, which viewers will need cable, satellite, or a streaming-TV service to watch.
The full TV schedule is available from Fox here.
Avid fans may want to sign up for a live-TV streaming service like DirecTV Now, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue, SlingTV, or the sports-centric fuboTV to catch all 64 games. Each platform offers free trials and can be cancelled at any time.
How to watch the World Cup on Spanish-language TV
Cable networks Telemundo and NBC Universo will show the games in Spanish, the preferred language for viewers who want to hear enthusiastic announcer shout, “GOOOAAALLLLL!”
The bulk of the matches will air live on Telemundo, with encore presentations on Universo. Later in the group stage of the tournament, when games are played simultaneously, live matches will be shown on both networks. Find the schedule here.
Keep in mind, you’ll need a pay-TV subscription to tune in.
How to watch the World Cup o
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Both Fox and Telemundo will be streaming all of the matches live. You’ll need a pay-TV login to access many of them.
The English-language broadcasts will be on Fox Sports website and app, which require a pay-TV subscription.
The streams in Spanish will be shown on Telemundo Deportes En Vivo and the NBC Sports App. You’ll be able to watch group-stage matches without a subscription or login, according to Roku, but the later-stage games will require a pay-TV package.
How to watch the World Cup in VR
Fox and Telemundo are also streaming all 64 matches live in VR. Fox’s experience will be available through the Fox Sport VR app, and Telemundo’s experience for Spanish speakers will be on the Telemundo Deportes VR app. You’ll need a pay-TV login to watch the matches on both apps.
Update (6:45pm EST): This post was updated with information on how to stream the games in VR.