FootyBite World Cup 2026: fixtures, groups & where to watch

The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs 11 June to 19 July 2026, and in the United States every one of the 104 matches has a home on licensed TV. FOX and FS1 carry the full slate in English, with the biggest games over the air on FOX and the rest on FS1. Telemundo airs 92 matches free over the air in Spanish. To stream, English viewers go to FOX One, Spanish viewers to Peacock — and both cover all 104 matches.

The US TV picture

This is the first World Cup mostly on home soil, and the broadcast map is the simplest it has been in years: two English carriers, two Spanish carriers, and full streaming on both sides.

• FOX (broadcast network) — marquee matches over the air, including the opener and the later knockout rounds.
• FS1 (cable) — the bulk of the group-stage schedule that does not land on the FOX network.
• Telemundo — 92 matches free over the air in Spanish.
• Universo — the Spanish-language cable overflow alongside Telemundo.

In English, FOX and FS1 split the 104 matches between them so that nothing falls outside one of the two. If a game is not on the FOX broadcast network, look for it on FS1.

Free over the air vs streaming

You do not need a subscription to watch most of this tournament. An antenna pointed at Telemundo gets you 92 of the 104 matches in Spanish at no cost, and the FOX broadcast network adds marquee English-language games over the air too.

If you would rather stream, the routes are clean:

• English, all 104: stream on FOX One and FOXSports.com.
• Spanish, all 104: stream on Peacock and the Telemundo app.
• Bundles: Fubo, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV all carry FOX and FS1, so one live-TV package covers every English match.

Between the antenna and one streaming sign-up, there is no match this summer you have to miss.

Groups, format and dates

The field is 48 teams for the first time, drawn into 12 groups of four. That produces 104 matches in all — 72 in the group stage and 32 across the knockout rounds.

• Group stage: 11–27 June.
• Advancement: the top two from each group, plus the eight best third-placed teams, move into a new Round of 32.
• Opener: 11 June at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
• Final: 19 July at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey.

The tournament spans 16 host cities across three countries — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada. For US viewers that means kickoffs land across the day rather than overnight, so most of the schedule is watchable without setting an alarm.

If you are following the European clubs whose players fill these squads, our Premier League guide and Champions League guide track the same broadcasters through the club season.

One last nudge before kickoff

Forty-eight teams and twelve groups make for a wide-open opening fortnight, and the eight-best-third-placed rule means a single point can carry a team into the Round of 32. Pencil in the opener on 11 June, set the antenna for Telemundo, and pick the English or Spanish stream that suits you. From there it is six weeks of football to the final on 19 July.