Broadcast Rights Overview
The World Cup pits the 32 best soccer, or association football, teams against each other in exciting competitions. FOX owns the English-language broadcast rights in the United States for the World Cup, and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Media owns the Spanish-language rights. That means cable and satellite subscribers can live stream the World Cup Finals through the official FOX Sports website, or through the NBC Sports website for the Spanish-language broadcast. Everyone else can live stream the World Cup Finals through online streaming services like YouTubeTV and fuboTV. For the 2022 and 2023 qualifying rounds, streaming services like fuboTV are a great option. To live stream World Cup soccer through FOX Sports GO or a streaming service, all you need is a high-speed internet connection, a device like a smartphone or a laptop, and the right television streaming app.
How to Live Stream World Cup Soccer From FOX
Cable and satellite television subscribers have the option to watch the World Cup Finals on FOX and FS1. But the tournament phase of the World Cup is a massive event, involving 32 teams, packed into fewer than 30 calendar days. Do you really want to spend all that time stuck in front of your television? FOX Sports GO is an online streaming service that’s free if you have a qualifying cable or satellite subscription, and you can use it to live stream the World Cup Finals on your computer, phone, tablet, or game console. The only requirements are a high-speed internet connection and a cable subscription that includes FOX and FS1. The FOX Sports GO website works on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers and laptops, as long as you use a web browser like Chrome or Firefox that supports streaming. You don’t need to download an app, because you can watch the live stream right on the website.
Which Streaming Services Have the World Cup Live Stream?
Cord cutters can’t use FOX Sports GO, but that doesn’t mean they’re totally cut off from live streaming World Cup soccer. Instead of using a cable or satellite subscription, cord cutters can watch all of the same action through any television streaming service that includes both FOX and FS1. Live television streaming services allow you to watch the same live television channels that are normally only available through a cable or satellite subscription. In many cases, these services are also able to provide live streams for local network channels like FOX. Instead of watching through a cable connection or satellite dish, these services allow you to stream the live video over a high speed internet connection. These services tend to offer more options, and cost less, than traditional cable television. They also have other benefits, like free trials and no long-term contract commitments. Since the entirety of the World Cup Soccer Finals are broadcast on FOX and FS1, it’s important to locate a streaming service that carries both channels. A lot of streaming services include both FOX and FS1, but the availability of FOX is based on your geographic area, and some services provide wider coverage than others. These are the most popular streaming services that give you access to the World Cup Finals live stream:
YouTube TV: This service includes both FOX and FS1. FOX is available in most markets. Hulu with Live TV: This service gives access to FOX and FS1, and they provide FOX in most markets.
Sling TV: FOX and FS1 are both included with the Sling Blue plan. This is a decent option, but Sling TV only offers FOX in a limited number of markets. PlayStation Vue: FOX and FS1 are both included with the least expensive package, but this is still a more expensive option than Sling TV, YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV. There are also some major markets where Vue doesn’t provide FOX. fuboTV: This service includes both FOX and FS1 for about the same price as Vue. It’s also focused on sports channels, and it includes a lot of international association football games. If you want decent coverage throughout the World Cup qualifying rounds, this is a good option.
DirecTV Now: FOX and FS1 are both included in every plan, but this is an even more expensive option than Vue. ESPN+: This streaming service is distinct from ESPN and includes coverage that isn’t available on any ESPN channel. Some World Cup qualifier live streams are only available on this service, so keep that in mind in case this service ends up having the rights to matches that involve your favorite team.
Watching World Cup Soccer Live Streams on Mobile, Streaming Device and Consoles
The FOX Sports GO website is primarily designed to work on laptop and desktop computers. You can use it to live stream the World Cup on your Windows, macOS, or Linux computer, but it may not work on your mobile device. If you want to watch the World Cup live stream on your phone, tablet, or a streaming device like Roku or Apple TV, you need to download the FOX Sports GO app on your device. Here are the apps you’ll need to watch the World Cup live stream through Fox:
Full World Cup Qualification and Finals Schedule
The qualification phase of the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in June 2019 with fierce competition in Asia, and it culminates with the tournament phase in 2022. Qualifiers for the 2023 Women’s World Cup start in June 2020 and wrap up in 2023. There’s almost too much action for one person to watch over the entire four-year cycle, so check the official schedules regularly as more information is revealed.
