How to watch the World Cup 2022 free online

The FIFA World Cup 2022 is upon us.

That’s a funny phrase to be writing in November, but thanks to whatever goes on behind the scenes at FIFA Towers, it has been decreed that this World Cup will be played in Qatar.

So, just about every major league in the world will be shutting down to accommodate FIFA’s will, and Qatar’s opportunity to sports wash their human rights abuses is almost here.

Serious points aside, there is likely to be some thoroughly exciting football on display too.

The World Cup remains the very pinnacle of footballing achievement despite FIFA’s best efforts to tarnish it, and most of the world’s best players will be there.

The World Cup is not free to watch everywhere, so how can you watch the action for free?

We have all the answers, so keep on reading if you want to know how to live stream the FIFA World Cup 2022 free in your country.

Where is the World Cup being shown?

If you are in the UK, coverage of the 2022 World Cup will be split between the BBC and ITV as usual. Both will be showing games free to air and streaming them online for free on either the BBC iPlayer or the ITV Hub.

It is also free if you live in Australia too. Here you can watch for free on SBS or stream the action on the SBS On Demand service.

But elsewhere, there are costs involved. If you are in the US and can speak Spanish, you can watch the action on Peacock for a fairly reasonable US$5 a month.

But if you need commentary in English, you will need a Fox Sports subscription that comes in at a sizable US$35 a month via Live TV.

In Canada, you will need to pay CA$24.99 to watch on TSN while in New Zealand, it’s a substantial NZ$39.99 a month to watch on Sky. If you’ve signed up for any of those services you can use our solution to watch if you’re overseas at the time.

Streaming problems you may face

From this, it is clear that the BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub or SBS On Demand streaming platforms are the best free online options.

There is only one problem. All of these services are geo-restricted. That means that if you try to tune in from outside the UK or Australia, you will find the services blocked.

If you’re off on holiday at the time, away for work or out of the country for any other reason, this could be problematic.

What you need to watch online anywhere

Don’t worry. This is a simple issue to get around. All you will need is a VPN app.

Just use the VPN app to connect to the UK (or Australia), and you will be able to unblock all of these platforms and enjoy all of the World Cup wherever you happen to be in the world at the time.

The hard part is deciding which VPN to use. That’s where we can help.

The best VPN to use to unblock the BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, SBS On Demand or any other service you’ve signed up for is ExpressVPN.

It offers the fastest available connection speeds, a great selection of British and Australian servers, apps for any device you could possibly want to watch the World Cup on, and there is even a 30-day money-back guarantee that lets you test it out before committing your money.

Other VPNs that will do the job include NordVPN and Surfshark VPN. All three work with most streaming platforms and come with that all-important 30-day money-back guarantee.

But in our expert opinion, it is ExpressVPN that will do the best job. However, the final choice is yours!

30-day money back guarantee

How to live stream the World Cup 2022

So, once you have chosen your VPN, what do you need to do to watch the World Cup 2022 live and for free?

The answer is much easier than you might think. Just follow the step-by-step guide to get things set up with ExpressVPN. If you opt for NordVPN or Surfshark VPN, the process is much the same:

Step 1

Go to the ExpressVPN website and sign up. Their 12-month deal is the best deal as it will save you 49% and also give you an extra three months for free.

Step 2

Download the ExpressVPN app being sure to do this from either your device’s official app store or the ExpressVPN website.

Step 3

Open the app and log in to your new ExpressVPN account using the details given to you at the end of step 1.

Step 4

Connect to the UK (Or Australia or your streaming services country).

To do this simply click Selected Location and then choose a location in the United Kingdom. Then just press the Connect button and then wait a few seconds for your VPN to establish a connection.

Step 5

Open up either the BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub, log or create your free account, confirm you accept and agree with any of their terms & conditions and then enjoy every match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup live or on-demand.

Alternatively if you’ve already subscribed to a streaming service in your country just head over to their website or use their app.

30-day money back guarantee

Who’s taking part in Qatar 2022?

Pretty much all of the big names in international football will be taking part in the FIFA World Cup. But there will be some smaller nations taking part, hoping to cause an upset or two along the way too.

We all know who the favourites will be (see more on this in the next section), but there will doubtless be plenty of upsets along the way.

While there are always one or two favourites who underperform, there is usually a couple of teams that overperform too. Could there be a shock winner in this unique winter World Cup?

The teams that are participating are:

Teams to look out for

It is the big European and South American countries that will be expected to take home the World Cup trophy.

In Group A, the only real contenders are the Netherlands, who missed the 2018 World Cup and are back with a point to prove under veteran coach Louis van Gaal.

England reached the semi-finals at the last World Cup and the Euro 2020 final, and so will be hoping to continue their good form at major tournaments here. They have another easy draw on paper, but after suffering Nations League relegation, they are not in form ahead of the tournament.

Group C pits Argentina’s Lionel Messi against Poland’s Robert Lewandowski. This is likely to be the last World Cup for both veterans, but it is Copa America holders Argentina who stand the best chance.

In Group D, holders France will fancy their chance of progressing and have to be contenders again, while Group E, with Spain and Germany, looks like the group of death.

This tournament is likely to be Belgium’s golden generation’s last real shot at World Cup glory in Group F, while Brazil are always contenders and find themselves in a fairly easy group. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal look favourites for Group H, but it will be a big surprise if they trouble the latter stages.

Players to look out for

Which stars are likely to light up the FIFA World Cup 2022? Aside from the established stars mentioned above, here are our top six picks:

• Kevin De Bruyne – Man City’s talisman find himself in a Belgian side on the wane. Can he spearhead a charge to the final?
• Sadio Mane – Sorely missed at Liverpool and scoring for fun at Bayern Munich. Mane’s Senegal have a good chance of reaching the latter stages.
• Bukayo Saka – England’s fall guy in their Euro 2020 final penalty shoot-out heartbreak. But he has bounced back for his club, Arsenal, and looks set to be England’s star man this time out.
• Kylian Mbappe – Patchy form and controversial influence is marring his time at PSG. But has always risen to the occasion for France when it matters. Won the World Cup almost on his own in 2018 and is quite capable of doing so again.
• Gareth Bale – Wales may not make the latter stages, but Bale is a world-class performer who has waited for this moment his whole career. Don’t bet against him delivering.
• Gavi – Barcelona may be a mess, but Gavi is a true star in the making, and if Spain are going to compete, he will be at the heart of things.

Summary

This controversial World Cup will still deliver some great football. To watch for free, you will need a VPN.

ExpressVPN is the one to use. Sign up, download the app, connect to a UK location, and then watch on BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub.

You can also use a VPN to access your home subscription service while travelling abroad so you don’t need to miss out.

Who will win the World Cup? Who knows? But it will be a whole lot of fun finding out.