The World Cup is nearly here. The festival of football kicks off on 11th June and will see a record 48 countries compete for the ultimate prize in world football.
And you can enjoy it all from the comfort of your own home in glorious 4K, from wherever you are in the world. Here's how.
How to watch the World Cup in 4K for free
Tubi is showing the opening game (Mexico vs South Africa), the USA's first game (against Paraguay), and the opening ceremony, all in 4K in the US. And because it's supported by adverts, it's free to watch.
The CazeTV YouTube platform will stream all 104 matches of the tournament in 4K in Brazil, though they will be in Portuguese. It too is free to watch.
If you're travelling outside from the US or Brazil during the tournament, you can still access the 4K streams on both platforms using a VPN.
Can I watch the 2026 World Cup in 4K in USA?
Fubo is a great way to see all the World Cup 2026 matches in 4K. It gives you access to Fox and FS1, bringing you all 104 matches in the unrivalled quality of 4K. There's a five-day free trial too, if you just want to catch a key game or want to sample it before committing. And if you're busy at the time, you can use the service's Cloud DVR feature to record the games to watch later.
DirecTV also carries both Fox and FS1 in the Base tier, giving you access to all 104 games in 4K. This service is closer to a traditional cable-style experience, but with the convenience of streaming. 4K comes as part of DirecTV's Choice, Ultimate and Premier tiers.
Watching the World Cup in 4K through Slingis less straightforward. Because Sling doesn't carry native 4K channels, you can't watch in that quality through Sling. But a Sling subscription does include access to the Fox Sports App, which will show the games in 4K. The Fox Sports App is available on Roku, Apple TV 4K and Amazon Fire TV devices.
You can also watch all 104 games in 4K on Fox One.
Can I watch the World Cup in 4K in the UK?
Yes – but there's a catch.
As usual, the BBC and ITV will share the matches shown in the UK. All 54 of the BBC's matches will be shown in 4K on its terrestrial channels and iPlayer, but ITV and ITVX are limited to HD.
Can I watch the World Cup in 4K in Australia?
Australian broadcaster SBS has the rights to show all 104 matches live, but it will do so in HD, not 4K. If you've travelled to Australia during the tournament, however, you can watch in 4K through your home country's service using a VPN like Norton VPN.
Can I watch the World Cup in 4K anywhere else?
Now TV in Hong Kong will show all of the tourney's 104 matches live in 4K. You can sign up to the FIFA World Cup Event Pass, or add the AI Buddy Pass – this "integrates metaphysical wisdom with advanced artificial intelligence, combining data analytics and metaphysical insights to deliver World Cup matching analysis, and provides match strategies." It'll be like having Gary Lineker next to you on the sofa.
Verdict
We were hoping 4K would be the standard format for broadcasting big events like the World Cup by now, but sadly that's not the case – a surprising number of broadcasters are sticking with HD. Thankfully there are still some options for those of us who really value picture quality, and with a VPN, you can watch them even if you're away from home.
Also, 4K upscaling is more advanced than ever, so if you've got one of the best TVs around, even an HD broadcast will look pretty great.
However you watch, the tournament promises to be a doozy. Enjoy!
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