How to watch World Cup 2026

Jonathan Victoria • 28 May 2026 Guides

The road to glory begins in only two short weeks…

World Cup 2026 is set to be the biggest edition in the tournament’s history, with more teams than ever before plus a sense that any of the top teams could win it all. It truly feels like there is no one favourite heading in.

Because of that, you’ll surely not want to miss a single moment of the action. Find out how to watch World Cup 2026 live in the UK, with all the information you’ll need on tuning in either on TV or via streaming, plus the other key details to know.

How to watch World Cup 2026

In the UK, all 104 matches of World Cup 2026 will be live on free-to-air TV, specifically shared between BBC and ITV. That means fans will be able to watch every kick, goal and dramatic moment without needing a paid sports subscription. 

Matches will be available across BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1 and ITV4, as well as online through BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport and ITVX. For viewers in Scotland, you’ll also be able to watch on STV and the STV Player for certain games. 

World Cup 2026: Dates

The World Cup 2026 begins on Thursday 11th June and will end on Sunday 19th July.

Given the location of the tournament, the timings of the games for UK viewers will range from ideal late afternoon/evening watches to needing a coffee to keep awake in the middle of the night until the final whistle.

The group stage will start the proceedings as usual, with every team playing three times, once for the other three members of their group. This stage will run from 11th - 28th June. Following that will be the start of the knockout rounds.

The knockout rounds consist of five stages: Round of 32, Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final. There is also the third-place playoff the day before the final for the losing semi-finalists to determine the final four order.

The dates for the knockout rounds are as followed:

• Round of 32: 28th June - 4th July
• Round of 16: 4th - 7th July
• Quarter-finals: 9th - 12th July
• Semi-finals: 14th & 15th July
• Third-place playoff: 18th July
• Final: 19th July

World Cup 2026: Hosts

This year’s World Cup will see shared hosting duties between the nations that make up the North American continent: USA, Canada and Mexico.

The 2026 edition marks the first co-hosted World Cup since 2002, which was hosted by Japan and South Korea.

World Cup 2026: Venues

There will be 16 venues across the three nations, with the US taking the majority with 11 venues, followed by Mexico with three and Canada with two.

Of the 16 stadiums, eight of them have permanent artificial turf surfaces which are set to be replaced with grass. Four of the stadiums are also technically indoor facilities which feature retractable roofs and climate control. A fifth stadium in Los Angeles is open-air but has a translucent roof and no climate control.

Mexico City is the only capital which will host matches during the tournament. The stadiums in the US’ capital of Washington DC and Canada’s capital Ottawa were not selected.

All stadiums have been given generic names for the competition rather than their standard names due to sponsorship reasons.

Here are the venues for World Cup 2026:

World Cup 2026: Groups

There are twelve groups of four teams in total that make up the group stage. From the four teams in each group, the top two teams will proceed to the knockout stages, along with the eight best third-placed teams.

Here are the groups for the group stage:

Group A

• Mexico (H)
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Czech Republic

Group B

• Canada (H)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Qatar
• Switzerland

Group C

• Brazil
• Morocco
• Haiti
• Scotland

Group D

• USA (H)
• Paraguay
• Australia
• Turkey

Group E

• Germany
• Curacao
• Ivory Coast
• Ecuador

Group F

• Netherlands
• Japan
• Sweden
• Tunisia

Group G

• Belgium
• Egypt
• Iran
• New Zealand

Group H

• Spain
• Cape Verde
• Saudi Arabia
• Uruguay

Group I

• France
• Senegal
• Iraq
• Norway

Group J

• Argentia
• Algeria
• Austria
• Jordan

Group K

• Portugal
• DR Congo
• Uzbekistan
• Columbia

Group L

• England
• Croatia
• Ghana
• Panama

History of the World Cup

First held in 1930, the FIFA World Cup has grown into the biggest and most prestigious tournament in world football. Organised every four years, the competition brings together the planet’s best national teams in a month-long battle for football’s ultimate prize.

The inaugural tournament took place in Uruguay, with just 13 teams competing for glory. Since then, the World Cup has evolved into a global sporting spectacle watched by billions of fans across every continent. Over the decades, legendary footballing nations including Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and France have all etched their names into history by lifting the famous trophy.

The tournament has also produced some of football’s most unforgettable moments. From Pelé announcing himself to the world as a teenager, to Diego Maradona’s brilliance in 1986 and Lionel Messi finally completing his legacy in 2022, the World Cup has consistently delivered drama, heartbreak and iconic memories.

World Cup stats

In total there have been 23 editions of the FIFA World Cup (including 2026). It has been contested every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, with the exception of 1942 and 1946 due to World War II.

World Cup winners

• 2022, Saudi Arabia - Argentina (3)
• 2018, Russia - France (2)
• 2014, Brazil - Germany (4)
• 2010, South Africa - Spain
• 2006, Germany - Italy (4)
• 2002, Japan & South Korea - Brazil (5)
• 1998, France - France
• 1994, USA - Brazil (4)
• 1990, Italy - Germany (West Germany) (3)
• 1986, Mexico - Argentina (2)
• 1982, Spain - Italy (3)
• 1978, Argentina - Argentina
• 1974, West Germany - Germany (West Germany) (2)
• 1970, Mexico - Brazil (3)
• 1966, England - England
• 1962, Chile - Brazil (2)
• 1958, Sweden - Brazil
• 1954, Switzerland - Germany (West Germany)
• 1950, Brazil - Uruguay (2)
• 1938, France - Italy (2)
• 1934, Italy - Italy
• 1930, Uruguay - Uruguay

World Cup team records

Most World Cup titles: 5 - Brazil

Most appearances: 23 - Brazil (only team to have qualified for every edition)

Most matches played: 114 - Brazil

Most matches won: 76 - Brazil

Most matches lost: 28 - Mexico

Most goals scored: 237 - Brazil

Most goals conceded: 130 - Germany

Most goals scored in a single tournament: 27 - Hungary (1954)

Most World Cup finals made: 8 - Germany

Most World Cup finals lost: 4 - Germany

Most World Cup finals without a win: 3 - Netherlands

Highest scoring match: 12 goals - Austria 7-5 Switzerland (1954)

Largest margin of victory: 9 goals

• Hungary 9-0 South Korea (1954)
• Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire (DR Congo) (1974)
• Hungary 10-1 El Salvador (1982)

Largest margin of victory in a final: 3 goals

• Brazil 5-2 Sweden (1958)
• Brazil 4-1 Italy (1970)
• France 3-0 Brazil (1998)

Most red cards in a match: 4 - Portugal vs Netherlands (2006)

Most yellow cards in a match: 18 - Netherlands vs Argentina (2022)
 

World Cup player records

Most World Cup titles: 3 - Pele, Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970)

Youngest player to win the tournament: 17 years, 249 days - Pele, Brazil (1958)

Oldest player to win the tournament: 40 years, 133 days - Dino Zoff, Italy (1982)

Most tournaments played: 6

• Lionel Messi (2006-2026)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (2006-2026)

Most matches played: 26 - Lionel Messi

Youngest player: 17 years, 41 days - Norman Whiteside, Northern Ireland (vs Yugoslavia, 1982)

Oldest player: 45 years, 161 days - Essam El-Hadary, Egypt (vs Saudi Arabia, 2018)

Most goals: 16 - Miroslav Klose, Germany

Most goals in a single tournament: 13 - Just Fontaine, France (1958)

Most goals scored in a match: 5 - Oleg Salenko, Russia (vs Cameroon, 1994)

Most goals scored in a final: 3

• Geoff Hurst, England (vs West Germany, 1966)
• Kylian Mbappe, France (vs Argentina, 2022)

Fastest goal: 11 seconds - Hakan Sukur, Turkey (vs South Korea, 2002)
 

World Cup tournament records

Most goals scored in a single tournament: 172 - Qatar (2022)

Highest match attendance: 173,850 - Uruguay vs Brazil, 1950 Final, Maracana Stadium, Brazil 

Highest tournament attendance: 3,587,538 - USA (1994)