Watching the FIFA World Cup 2022 without cable: live stream soccer for cordcutters

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is underway with the knockout stages upon us. Don't have cable? There are lots of ways for cordcutters to watch the World Cup 2022. There are even free online streams courtesy of UK broadcasters, BBC and ITV, as well as the cable replacement alternatives in the US and Canada. Want to watch the World Cup soccer streams without a long contract TV package? Read on for all the options.

By Friday, the FIFA World Cup 2022 will have whittled 32 teams down to a last 16 to play the remaining 16 games of the tournament in pursuit of the famous gold trophy. Fox Sports has the cable rights to Qatar 2022 in the States and is showing games across FOX, FS1 and the Fox Sports apps too. If you're not a cable subscriber, don't panic – there are lots of streaming services offering reasonably priced online coverage of every match, from the opener on 20th November to the final in Doha on 18th December.

There's no need to have your TV connected to anything but the internet to see all of the World Cup games. In fact, there's no need to use a TV at all, given that you can watch through the apps and websites of all of these services. And you can get instant access too without any need for installation or for anything to turn up in the mail.

In the UK, the BBC iPlayer and the newly-lanched ITVX will offer license fee payers free streams on almost any smart devices and, in Australia, Socceroos fans can use SBS On Demand without paying a penny. Worth remembering that you can use those services from abroad too if you're a Brit or Australian away from home.

Enjoying watching Qatar 2022? You will be once you've signed yourself up to one of the services below. This is all you need to know for watching World Cup 2022 without cable.

World Cup 2022: free streams without cable

No cable? No problem. There are several free streaming options for cordcutters:

UK: BBC iPlayer and ITVX – UK licence payers, sign up with email.

Australia: SBS On-Demand – sign up with email

Austria: ORF – no sign up required

Travelling outside of the UK, Australia or Austria but want to tune into your streaming service like you were at home?

Use a VPN for watching World Cup 2022 on BBC, ITV and SBS from abroad.

We recommend ExpressVPN as it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Full details on how to use a VPN below.

Watching World Cup 2022 without cable from anywhere

Watching your regular World Cup 2022 provider while traveling abroad won't be possible. The streaming service will spot that you're in a foreign country and block you. You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to get around this, though.

It's a straightforward piece of software which sets your device to appear as if it's in the right country, giving you access to World Cup 2022 from anywhere in the world.

We rate ExpressVPN as the best VPN for World Cup 2022. It offers a 30-day guarantee for all your money back if you're not happy with the service.

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days
ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it for watching World Cup 2022 on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There's 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up. Try it – it's easier than you think.

How to use a VPN for World Cup 2022

1. Install the VPN of your choice. ExpressVPN is the one we recommend.

2. Open up the VPN app and choose the location of the service you wish to access. For the Qatar World Cup, you may wish to choose 'UK' for BBC and ITV.

3. Then head over to BBC / ITVX on your browser or device and enjoy World Cup 2022!

USA: Watching World Cup 2022 without cable 

In the USA, Fox Sports and Telemundo have the cable TV rights to the Qatar World Cup. Don't have cable? Respected streaming services Sling and FuboTV both offer easy streaming access to FOX and FS1.

World Cup 2022 | Sling 50% off first month
Catch all the games live from Qatar, and much more, with this sporting offer. You can get half off your your first month with this discount. It's $40 a month after but there's no contract so you can cancel anytime.

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World Cup 2022 | FuboTV 7-day free trial
FuboTV is a full cable replacement service. Packages start at $69.99 per month and include access to Fox Sports. No long contracts involved. Cancel at any time, and don't forget to take advantage of the 7-day free trial here.

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Cordcutters can also stream every game live on Peacock (from $5/month) in Spanish. The first 12 games will be streamed live and free.

And don't forget: licence-paying UK fans can watch every live match free across BBC iPlayer and ITVX. Always use a VPN to access these services when travelling away from home in the UK.

AUS: Watching the World Cup 2022 without cable

If you're in Australia, local streaming service SBS on Demand will provide live coverage of the Qatar World Cup.

Stuck away from your home in Oz at the moment? You'll need to use a VPN to access the free SBS live stream without being geo-blocked.

UK: Watching World Cup 2022 without cable

Viewers in the UK can stream the Qatar World Cup live on BBC iPlayer, ITVX and STV Player.

The BBC and ITV will announced the TV scheduled for the knockout games once the groups are finished. Both channels will broadcast the 2022 World Cup final on 18th December.

Full list of BBC/ITV matches here.

Watching World Cup 2022 without cable in 4K

Fans in the USA can watch every match in 4K via Fox's Tubi streaming service.

In the UK, the BBC has confirmed that it will stream the "majority" of its 33 live games in 4K Ultra HD and HDR, beginning with the opener between Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday 20th November.

You can get all the info you need on watching World Cup 2022 in 4K HDR here, including what devices, which streaming services and whether you're getting native hi-res pictures or not.

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