How to Watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup for Free in the USA?

Justin Oyaro

By Justin Oyaro . 3 December 2022

Cybersecurity Expert

Shanika W.

Fact-Checked this

The FIFA World Cup is among the most awaited soccer tournaments. This year’s tournament kicks off on November 20.

Unfortunately, in the USA, you will have to subscribe to streaming services such as FuboTV or Hulu to watch the World Cup.

The problem is these services cost $77, respectively $70 per month.

But you can still watch the World Cup for free in the USA!

This is how: You can get a VPN subscription and then watch it for free on a UK streaming service, such as BBC or ITV.

Quick Steps to Watch 2022 FIFA World Cup in the USA for Free Using a VPN

  1. Click here to download, and install ExpressVPN.
  2. Launch the VPN and connect to a UK server.
  3. Go to BBC iPlayer or ITV and watch all the World Cup sporting action.

Why the above?

  • In the US, no streaming service offers the World Cup for free. It costs $77 on FuboTV and $70 on Hulu to stream the World Cup.
  • However, streamers can watch matches for free in the UK on the BBC or ITV website.
  • The issue is USA IP addresses are blocked from accessing these sites.
  • With a VPN, such as ExpressVPN, you can change your IP address to a UK one and then access the BBC and ITV websites.

This article will show you how to watch the tournament for free. I will also talk about premium ways you can catch this sporting action.

FIFA World Cup 2022 Details

The 2022 FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar with all eyes on the Lusail Iconic Stadium with a state-of-the-art cooling system in Lusail city.

The tournament will kick off with group-stage matches starting on Sunday, November 20, at 11 am. ET. The tournament is expected to conclude on Sunday, December 18, at 10 am. ET.

In between, fans will be entertained with group stage matches, the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, a third-place game, and the final match.

Besides the Lusail Iconic Stadium, the matches will also be held in other stadiums, including:

  • Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
  • Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
  • Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
  • Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
  • Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan
  • Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan
  • Stadium 974, Doha

FIFA 2022 World Cup Group Stage Teams

The World Cup kicks off with the group-stage qualifying teams. These teams are sorted into eight groups, each consisting of four countries hence the name group stage.

Here are the 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage teams:

  • Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands.
  • Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales.
  • Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland.
  • Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia.
  • Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan.
  • Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia.
  • Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon.
  • Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea.

Group Stage Matches Schedule

Here is a table with the schedule of all the upcoming group stage matches and where to watch them.

Date Matches Time (ET) US Channels UK Channels
Sunday, NOVEMBER 20 Qatar vs. Ecuador 11 am FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Monday, NOVEMBER 21 England vs. Iran 8 am FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Senegal vs. Netherlands 11 am FOX, Telemundo ITV
USA vs. Wales 2 pm FOX, Telemundo ITV
Tuesday NOVEMBER 22 Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia 5 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
Denmark vs. Tunisia 8 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
Mexico vs. Poland 11 am FOX, Telemundo BBC One
France vs. Australia 2 pm FOX, Telemundo BBC One
Wednesday NOVEMBER 23 Morocco vs. Croatia 5 am FS2, Telemundo ITV
Germany vs. Japan 8 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
Spain vs. Costa Rica 11 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
Belgium vs. Canada 2 pm FOX, Telemundo BBC One
Belgium vs. Canada 2 pm FOX, Telemundo BBC One
Thursday NOVEMBER 24 Switzerland vs. Cameroon 5 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
Uruguay vs. South Korea 8 am FS2, Telemundo BBC One
Portugal vs. Ghana 11 am FOX, Telemundo ITV
Brazil vs. Serbia 2 pm FOX, Telemundo BBC One
Friday NOVEMBER 25 Iran vs. Wales 5 am FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Qatar vs. Senegal 8 am FS2, Telemundo BBC One
Netherlands vs. Ecuador 11 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
England vs. USA 2 pm FOX, Telemundo ITV
England vs. USA 2 pm FOX, Telemundo ITV
Saturday 26th November Tunisia vs. Australia 5 am FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Poland vs Saudi Arabia 8 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
France vs. Denmark 11 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
Argentina vs. Mexico 2 pm FOX, Telemundo ITV
Sunday 27th November Japan vs. Costa Rica 5 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
Belgium vs. Morocco 8 am FS2, Telemundo BBC One
Croatia vs. Canada 11 am FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Spain vs. Germany 2 pm FOX, Telemundo BBC One
Monday 28th November Cameroon vs. Serbia 5 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
South Korea vs. Ghana 8 am FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Brazil vs. Switzerland 11 am FOX, Telemundo ITV
Portugal vs. Uruguay 2 pm FOX, Telemundo ITV
Tuesday 29th November Netherlands vs. Qatar 10 am FS2, Telemundo ITV
Ecuador vs. Senegal 10 am FS1, Telemundo ITV
Wales vs. England 2 pm FOX, Telemundo BBC One
Iran vs. United States 2 pm FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Wednesday 30th November Tunisia vs. France 10 am FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Australia vs. Denmark 10 am FS2, Telemundo BBC One
Poland vs. Argentina 2 pm FOX, Telemundo BBC One
Saudi Arabia vs. Mexico 2 pm FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Thursday 1st December Croatia vs. Belgium 10 am FOX, Telemundo BBC One
Canada vs. Morocco 10 am FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Japan vs. Spain 2 pm FS2, Telemundo BBC One
Costa Rica vs. Germany 2 pm FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Friday 2nd December South Korea vs. Portugal 10 am FS1, Telemundo BBC One
Ghana vs. Uruguay 10 am FOX, Telemundo BBC One
Cameroon vs. Brazil 2 pm FS1, Telemundo ITV
Serbia vs. Switzerland 2 pm FOX, Telemundo ITV

Round of 16 Schedule

Date Match
3 December Winner Group A vs. Runners up Group B
3 December Winners Group C vs. Runners up Group D
4 December Winners Group D vs. Runners up Group C
4 December Winners Group B vs. Runners up Group A
5 December Winners Group E vs. Runners up Group F
5 December Winners Group G vs. Runners up Group H
6 December Winners Group F vs. Runners up Group E
6 December Winners Group H vs. Runners up Group G

Quarterfinal Schedule

The four quarterfinals matches will be between the winners of the round of 16. The matches will occur on December 9 and 10 at 10:00 am ET, with the last match on December 10, starting at 2:00 pm ET.

Semifinal Schedule

The two matches of the semifinal will be between the winners of the quarterfinal. They will take place on December 13 and 14 at 2:00 pm ET.

Third-Place Match Schedule

This match will be between the losers of the semifinal. It will take place on December 17 at 2:00 pm ET.

Finals Schedule

The final match will be between the winners of the semifinal. It will take place on December 18 at 10:00 am ET.

FIFA World Cup Roster for USA

The official United States men’s national team has been unveiled, and here is the roster.

Goalkeepers Defenders Midfielders Attackers
Ethan Horvath Cameron Carter-Vickers Brenden Aaronson Jesus Ferreira
Sean Johnson Sergiño Dest Kellyn Acosta Jordan Morris
Matt Turner Aaron Long Tyler Adams Christian Pulisic
Shaquell Moore Luca de la Torre Giovanni Reyna
Tim Ream Weston McKennie Josh Sargent
Antonee Robinson Yunus Musah Tim Weah
Joe Scally Cristian Roldan Haji Wright
DeAndre Yedlin
Walker Zimmerman

How to Watch the World Cup 2022 for Free in the USA?

Cable users can watch the World Cup live coverage on Fox and Fox Sports 1 (FS1). The group stage matches will be split between the two channels. Onwards, the remaining games will air on Fox.

For the Spanish language, you can watch the games on Telemundo.

Other than cable, USA residents can watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup free through internet video-streaming services.

Use a VPN to Watch World Cup 2022 for Free in the USA

You can stream the World Cup matches free of charge on BBC iPlayer or ITV streaming services. However, these services are geo-restricted in the UK.

To bypass the restrictions, you will need a VPN with servers in the UK, such as ExpressVPN. After you connect to a UK server, the VPN will assign you a UK IP address.

With a UK IP address, your internet traffic will seem to originate from the UK even when you are in the USA.

Thus, BBC iPlayer and ITV will allow you to watch content for the UK region.

ExpressVPN is a superb VPN service with lightning speeds and unlimited bandwidth. This VPN offers excellent security and has a zero-no-log policy backed by RAM-based servers.

Its speeds allow you to stream content of up to 4K quality and you won’t experience buffering. This VPN also boats an unmatched unblocking ability.

It is compatible with nearly all computing devices, and you can use its MediaStreamer (Smart DNS) on devices that don’t support native VPN apps. You also get to enjoy a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Best Free FIFA 2022 World Cup Streaming Services

BBC iPlayer and ITV: These streaming services will offer live streams of 32 World Cup games. You will need to connect your VPN to a UK server to bypass their geo-restrictions.

BBC iPlayer and ITV will broadcast the matches in English. BBC iPlayer will also offer the games in 4K quality. You must confirm that you have a TV license even if you don’t.

SBS ON DEMAND: This Australian streaming service will allow you to stream all 64 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022 live and free in English.

However, it is geo-restricted, and thus you will need to connect your VPN to an Australian server.

Since Australia is far from the USA, you need a faster internet connection to enjoy your matches in HD.

RAIPLAY: This Italian streaming service will broadcast all 64 matches in the Italian language. You will need to connect to a server in Italy.

RTBF Auvio: This streaming service from Belgium will allow you to stream all World Cup matches in French. You will need to connect to a server in Belgium.

Alternative services that will offer FIFA World Cup for free include TF1 (France), ARD1 and 2DF (Germany), RTE (Ireland), Abema (Japan), NOS (Netherlands), SVT (Sweden), DR (Denmark), and RTP (Portugal).

Premium Services for Streaming World Cup 2022 in the USA

Other than free services, premium streaming services will also broadcast all FIFA 2022 World Cup matches.

If you are a new user of these services, you will almost enjoy the matches for free if you take advantage of the free trial offered by each service.

The premium services include:

  • YouTube TV: This streaming service costs $64.99 per month and includes Fox and FS1. It offers a 14-day free trial.
  • FuboTV: The pro subscription costs $69.99 per month with over 100 plus channels for sports, including Fox and FS1. This service offers a 7-day free trial.
  • DIRECTV STREAM: This service costs $69.99 monthly and includes Fox and FS1. It offers a 5-day free trial.

You can also watch the World Cup on Hulu Live TV.

Wrap Up

You can avoid breaking the bank by watching all 64 matches of FIFA World Cup 2022 on BBC iPlayer or ITV. You only need to subscribe to ExpressVPN and connect to a UK server.

If the monthly price is too high, you can enjoy the service for free using the 30-day money-back guarantee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Some people found answers to these questions helpful

Will the USA win the FIFA World Cup 2022?

A few top dogs usually lift the coveted World Cup trophy. The USA is among the underdogs in this tournament and has never won a soccer World Cup. Since soccer is sometimes unpredictable, maybe the USA may advance to the finals this time.


Which are the fan-favorite teams for the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

A few favorite teams have the best odds of winning the FIFA 2022 World Cup. The fan-favorite teams include Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, and Spain. These teams boast world-class players on their rosters.


Why is FIFA World Cup 2022 controversial?

Most of the controversies surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup are due to the host, Qatar. This country has anti-LGBTQ+ laws, a hot climate, mistreatment of migrant workers, and corruption allegations in the World Cup bidding process.


What is the official World Cup song for 2022?

The official soundtracks for the 2022 World Cup include Arhbo by Ozuna and Gims, Hayya Hayya (Better Together) by Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha, and Light the Sky by Rahma, Balqees, Nora, and Manal.


Leave a Comment