How to Watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup for Free in the USA?
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.
- Click here to download, and install ExpressVPN.
- Launch the VPN and connect to a UK server.
- 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.