Football’s biggest stage is about to get even bigger. Wondering how to watch World Cup 2026? This guide explains exactly where to watch World Cup 2026 in the UK, including TV channels, live stream options, kick-off times and broadcaster coverage throughout the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest edition in history, with 48 nations competing across the United States, Mexico and Canada over 39 days and 104 matches. It will be the 23rd staging of the tournament, which has been held every four years since 1930, aside from a 12-year pause around World War II.
After the winter scheduling of Qatar 2022, the tournament returns to its traditional summer slot in 2026.
Argentina are the reigning champions after beating France in a dramatic 2022 final to secure their third World Cup crown – and their first since 1978. Brazil remain the most successful nation in the competition’s history with five titles, although their last triumph came in 2002.
When is World Cup 2026?
The 2026 World Cup gets underway on 11th June 2026 and will run until 19th July 2026.
Where is World Cup 2026 taking place?
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by three countries: United States, Mexico and Canada. The United States and Mexico have both hosted World Cups before, in 1994 for the former and 1970 and 1986 for the latter. There will be a total of 104 matches at the World Cup, spread across 16 different stadiums in the three countries. The opening game will be held at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico, with the final hosted by the MetLife stadium in the USA.
The tournament will be played across the following cities and stadiums (capacity):
- AT&T Stadium, Dallas (94,000)
- Estadio Banorte, Mexico City (83,000)
- MetLife Stadium, New York/New Jersey (82,500)
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atalanta (75,000)
- Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City (73,000)
- NRG Stadium, Houston (72,000)
- Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco (71,000)
- SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles (70,000)
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia (69,000)
- Lumen Field, Seattle (65,000)
- Gillette Stadium, Boston (65,000)
- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami (65,000)
- BC Place, Vancouver (54,000)
- Estadio BBVA, Monterrey (53,500)
- Estadio Akron, Guadalajara (48,000)
- BMO Field, Toronto (45,000)
How to watch World Cup 2026 in the UK?
All 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup will be free to watch live on TV in the UK. The games will be split between BBC and ITV, across their various channels, with both broadcasters showing the final.