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Being a sports fan is often expensive, and in recent years, it’s become rather confusing as well, thanks to the fractured TV broadcast arrangements for each pro team and league.
Indeed, as has been widely reported, being a World Cup aficionado comes with its share of high costs for attending matches, or even parking near the stadium, but fear not, FIFA followers in the U.S. – finding the matches on television doesn’t have to be a headache.
FIFA says that more than 2.8 billion viewers watched coverage of the 2022 World Cup on linear TV and another 2.7 billion viewed the matches from some sort of streaming service, with a record 1.5 billion watching the instant-classic championship contest between Argentina and France alone.
So, yes, “How can I watch the World Cup on TV?” is a question you’ll most likely hear someone ask or see posted to social media in the coming days and weeks.
Make no mistake, that’s not the simple query it was just a few years ago. If you attempt to follow any of the local pro teams including the Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars, Rangers or even FC Dallas, let alone all of them, you already know that “What channel is that on?” is often not an easy answer and it also often requires a few extra bucks to watch.
Which brings us to the 2026 World Cup. It’s fair to criticize the high ticket prices and the difficulty involved in landing tickets from official FIFA channels. Some folks around Dallas might also have some gripes when it comes to possible traffic issues and how the popular “Ocean Life” whale mural in downtown was painted over, reportedly for a new World Cup-themed mural.
But what American fans looking to watch all 104 matches on TV can not do this year, however, is complain about any confusion or having to subscribe to a dozen different apps to catch all the action.
Old School
Maybe you haven’t cut the cord yet. Maybe you still enjoy the glut of channels you probably don’t watch, but can have access to for one (probably high) price. You’re in luck then, because you don’t have to search very hard or sign up for any additional apps most likely. Because the English-language broadcasts for all the World Cup matches will air on Fox and Fox’s sports channel, FS1, people who have standard cable packages from the likes of Spectrum, DirecTV and DISH need only to point and click on the right channel at the right time.
Cord cutters
Depending on your collection of streaming apps, you might already be fully equipped and not even know it yet. Many who abandoned traditional cable or satellite switched to multi-channel streaming options that closely mirror old-school cable packages. If you have YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, Sling TV or DirecTV Stream, then you almost certainly have Fox and FS1 even in many of the basic-level packages these options provide.
If you’ve really taken cord-cutting to the next level and have been subsisting on only individual apps or some select streaming bundles, then this is where you might find yourself searching for your wallet in order to catch the next Uzbekistan, Ivory Coast, Cabo Verde or DR Congo match.
Because Fox is the official U.S. TV partner for the World Cup, access to ESPN, ABC, TBS or any of the other outlets that show many marquee sporting events will not cut it. Each of the aforementioned multi-channel streaming services offer monthly or annual subscriptions, and come with dozens more channels where programming can be viewed on multiple devices beyond your TV set. The prices for a monthly subscription can range from $24.99 to up to $82.99, depending on the service provider and the specific package you choose.
For those who do not want to dive back into the cable-esque experience with YouTube TV, all World Cup matches will be broadcast in English in the U.S. via the Fox One app. Unlike some other sports-centric apps, no additional or existing TV provider subscription of any kind is required. All you need is a phone, laptop, tablet or TV with WiFi and about $20 per month to have access to all 104 World Cup matches in 2026.
For Spanish-language broadcasts
The spirit of the information for English-language broadcasts as noted above is more or less true for Spanish-speaking audiences, even if a couple of the channels are different. For those who have cable, satellite or multi-channel streamers, Spanish-language World Cup broadcasts in the U.S. can be seen primarily on Telemundo, with some matches being shown on Universo. For Spanish-speaking cord cutters, NBC’s Peacock app will broadcast all the matches in Spanish, but you must be subscribed to one of Peacock’s premium plans, which start at $10.99 per month.
