How to Live Stream The 2018 World Cup Online Without Cable or Satellite

We show you how to watch the World Cup for as little as $10 and you don’t even need to subscribe to cable.

Jason Gurwin

Published in

FOMOPOP

6 min readMay 30, 2018

TL:DR;

The World Cup is airing on FOX and FS1 (in English) and Telemundo (in Spanish).
If you just want games on FOX and Telemundo, buy an Antenna. This is the antenna we recommend.
If you want to watch full World Cup coverage on local and cable networks, sign-up for a Live TV Streaming Service.
We recommend Hulu Live TV or fuboTV since you’ll get FOX, FS1, Telemundo, and Bonus Camera Feeds.
Games will also stream on Fox Sports Go and Telemundo Now with your cable, satellite, or streaming service credentials.

Cut the Cord and Still Watch Every World Cup Event

The 2018 World Cup is here and for a cord cutter finding a way to watch live events are always a challenge.

Fortunately, since you can catch every match on FOX, FS1, Telemundo, and Universo— there are now good options for even those who have already decided to cut the cord.

We’ve rounded up the best way to catch your favorite World Cup matches, so you won’t miss a moment.

Check out our World Cup Streaming Tool to find out which service will get you the matches you want to watch and the best way to watch your favorite teams.

Here are a few ways you can catch The World Cup even if you don’t have cable or satellite.

1. Buy an Antenna — $10–50

Just like the old days, you can still pick up local channels like FOX and Telemundo from an antenna.

FOX will broadcast 38 (of 64) matches in English:

Group Stage: Airing 26 of 48 matches
Round of 16: Airing 6 of 8 matches
Quarterfinal: Airing 2 of 4 matches
Semifinals & Finals: Airing Semifinals, Final, and Third Place matches

Telemundo will broadcast 56 (of 64) matches in Spanish:

Group Stage: Airing 40 of 48 matches
Round of 16: Airing all matches
Quarterfinal: Airing all matches
Semifinals & Finals: Airing all matches

Outside the cost of the antenna, you won’t pay a thing to watch major World Cup matches.

If you live within 35 miles of the broadcast signal, you will likely be able to pick up your locals channels with a cheap indoor antenna ($15–30).

Here are a few we recommend:

Monoprice Paper Thin Antenna (30 miles) — $10 @ Monoprice
Mohu Leaf 30 TV Antenna (30 miles) — $30 @ Amazon
Mohu Leaf 50 TV Antenna (60 miles) — $55 @ Amazon

While all these are rated for signals within 30–60 miles, the higher end ones have been seen to perform better in reviews by CNET and Tom’s Guide.

You can use TVFool’s “Free TV” tool to see how far each channel signal is from your address. If you live farther away, you might need to consider a higher-end roof mounted antenna ($60+).

2. Subscribe to a Live TV streaming service — $35/mo.

One of the biggest changes since the 2014 World Cup is that you don’t have to miss a single match if you’re a cord cutter.

There are now 6 providers (DIRECTV NOW, fuboTV, Hulu, Playstation Vue, Sling TV, and YouTube TV) that offer live TV online without cable.

This is the best option for fans that want FOX, but also want to watch all the games airing on Fox Sports 1 (FS1).

To see which events are available on each service we suggest you check out World Cup Streaming Tool.

FOX

Includes live matches every day from June 14 to July 15th.
Will air 26 (of 48) Group Stage, 6 (of 8) Round of 16, 2 (of 4) Quarterfinals, and all Semi-Final and Finals matches.
Since locals aren’t available in every city, we suggest checking out our Local Market Overview to find out if you’ll get FOX in your area.

FS1

Will air 22 (of 48) Group Stage matches, 2 (of 8) Round of 16, 2 (of 4) Quarterfinals matches.
Australia and Panama will have all their Group Stage matches on FS1.
Many teams will have 2 of their 3 Group Stage games on FS1 including Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Egypt, England, Germany, Japan, Morocco, Peru, South Korea, Switzerland, and Tunisia.

Telemundo (in Spanish)

Includes live matches every day from June 14 to July 15th.
Will air 40 (of 48) Group Stage and all elimination games.
Many teams will have all their Group Stage matches on Telemundo including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, England, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Sweden, Uruguay.
Since locals aren’t available in every city, we suggest checking out our Local Market Overview to find out if you’ll get Telemundo in your area.

NBC Universo (in Spanish)

Will air 8 (of 48) Group Stage matches.
No team will have more than one Group Stage game on Universo
These teams will have one of their Group Stage matches: Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Morocco, Panama, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and Tunisia.

Top Picks

fuboTV — See our full review

Price: $45
Cable Channels: 19 of Top 35
Includes: FOX, FS1, Telemundo, Universo, and Bonus Camera Feeds.
You will also get beIn and can add Fox Soccer Plus for additional coverage for $6/mo.

Click here for a free 7-day free trial

Hulu Live TV — See our full review

Price: $40
Cable Channels: 22 of Top 35
Includes: FOX, FS1, and Telemundo, and Bonus Camera Feeds.
If you already have a Hulu account, you can add Hulu Live TV for just $32 — making it one of the cheapest options.

Click here to sign-up for Hulu Live TV

Other Options

Sling Blue — See our full review

Price: $25
Cable Channels: 19 of Top 35
Includes: FOX and FS1
Add-Ons: NBC Universo (+$5)

Click here for a 7-day free trial to Sling TV

Sling is lacking FOX in a lot of markets, but at $25/mo., they are the cheapest option to get FOX and FS1.

Playstation Vue — See our full review

Price: $40
Cable Channels: 25 of Top 35
Includes: FOX, FS1, Telemundo

Click here for a 5-day free trial of Playstation Vue

If you watch other sports, you’ll also get regional sports networks, NBA TV, MLB Network, NFL Network, Big 10 Network, SEC Channel, and ESPNU for $5 more.

YouTube TV — See our full review