How to Watch the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is shaping up to be in our top three most exciting sporting events of the year. Held once every four years, the World Cup brings together the top men’s national soccer (or, as some countries say, football) teams from across the globe for a tournament that lasts for more than a month.

This year, the tournament will involve more than 100 games played in the United States, Canada and Mexico. To help you catch your favorite teams and matchups, even if you’re not attending any, I’ve outlined exactly when the World Cup is happening and how you can watch — whether you have cable or rely on streaming services.

When and where is the 2026 World Cup happening?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup officially kicks off on Thursday, June 11, 2026, and runs through Sunday, July 19. For the first time in tournament history, the opening ceremony isn’t a single show in one city. Instead, it will take place in Mexico City, Toronto, and Los Angeles — with each location hosting their own kickoff on June 11 or 12.

After the opening ceremony, the tournament will be jointly hosted across 16 cities — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada — with a total of 48 teams competing. This marks the first World Cup ever to be held across three countries simultaneously. The final game will take place on July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside of New York City.

To view the full match schedule, you can visit the official FIFA website, where you’ll also find scores, stats, standings, and team information throughout the tournament.

If you have a cable or satellite package, you can catch all the English-language World Cup action on Fox and FS1 (a sports channel owned by Fox). Fox has committed to airing all 104 games live on the Fox broadcast network and the FS1 cable channel.

For Spanish-language coverage, NBCUniversal is handling broadcasts through Telemundo, with 92 live matches on the main Spanish-language broadcast network. As for those who have cut the cord with traditional cable, there are several streaming options that will be playing matches.

Fox One

Fox’s streaming app will play every match live, plus you can watch them on demand after the game has ended for $20 per month. In addition to the World Cup, Fox One allows you to watch a number of other Fox programming — including dramas, reality shows and more.

DirectTV MySports

DirectTV has a MySports package that gives you access to Fox One and FS1 to watch matches live. The package costs $50 for the first two months, after which the price goes up to $65 a month. In addition to the above listed channels, you’ll also get access to more than 20 other sports and broadcast networks (including ESPN).

Peacock

With Peacock’s Premium plan, which costs $11 a month, you can access live matches played on Telemundo and Universo (a Spanish-language channel owned by Telemundo). The games will also be available on-demand after they air. Additionally, the premium plan also allows you to watch popular shows from Bravo, NBC and more — plus, Peacock original shows like “Love Island USA.”

FuboTV

FuboTV’s Sports plan, which allows you to watch Fox One and FS1 live, is $46 for the first month, after which the price goes up to $56. If you already subscribe to a FuboTV plan, you can also add on a sports package for an additional $5 a month. All FuboTV plans come with unlimited Cloud DVR space, allowing you to record any games you can’t watch in real time.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV offers a sports package for $55 a month for the first year and it comes with a 21- day free trial. With this package, you’ll get Fox, FS1 and Telemundo to watch World Cup matches. The package also includes broadcast networks like ABC, NBC and CBS and a slew of sports networks like ESPN and the NFL Network.

Disclosure: Telemundo is a television station owned by NBC News parent company NBCUniversal; Peacock is the streaming service of NBC News parent company NBCUniversal; NBCU is owned by Comcast, which is a co-owner of Hulu.

Why trust NBC Select?

I am a commerce editor at NBC Select and a journalist who regularly covers wellness and lifestyle. I have written about post-workout skin care routines, portable travel safes and more. My husband is a huge soccer (or as he calls it, football) fan and so we will be watching as many of the World Cup matches as possible.

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