England FIFA World Cup 2026 TV broadcasts
To watch local broadcasts of England's World Cup campaign from abroad using a Virtual Private Network, connect to a server in the United Kingdom and stream games live on either the BBC iPlayer or ITVX.
Who is showing FIFA World Cup 2026 on TV in England?
In England (and the wider UK), soccer fans get the best possible deal: the entire 2026 FIFA World Cup will be broadcast completely free-to-air. Under the UK's broadcasting laws, the tournament is a protected "crown jewel" event, meaning you won't need any paid television subscriptions to catch the action.
The tournament's 104 matches are split right down the middle between the nation's two major public broadcasters:
- BBC: Will broadcast 52 matches live across its main channels (primarily BBC One). The BBC's slate includes England's highly anticipated group stage match against Ghana, as well as first-pick rights to three of England’s potential knockout games if they progress.
- ITV: Will broadcast the other 52 matches live across ITV1 and ITV4. ITV has the rights to the tournament's opening matches on June 11, as well as two of England's group stage games: the opener against Croatia (Wednesday, June 17) and the final group clash against Panama (Saturday, June 27).
Live Streaming & Catch-Up
If you are watching on a phone, tablet, laptop, or smart TV app, you can stream every second for free:
- BBC iPlayer: The digital home for all BBC-allocated matches, featuring live streams, full-match replays, and highlights.
- ITVX: The digital hub for all ITV matches. ITVX is also launching a dedicated 24/7 World Cup channel featuring classic matches and behind-the-scenes content like Inside The World Cup.
The Final: In traditional fashion, the World Cup Final on July 19 will be broadcast simultaneously live on both BBC and ITV.