How to watch the World Cup in United Kingdom

The FIFA World Cup always draws a huge television audience in the UK, and the ratings for the 2022 tournament in Qatar are likely to be the best ever. That is because the competition this year takes place in the middle of the European football season instead of during the summer break, and two home countries are taking part.

Both England and Wales are in Group B, which means they will have to get results against Iran and the USA to reach the round of 16. Every minute of the action in Qatar will be shown live on free TV in the UK, and British fans will also be able to watch live streams of all the games.

Watching the Games on TV

The 2022 tournament in Qatar will be covered by both the BBC and ITV. The two broadcasters will each cover 24 group games live and show highlights of the contests they did not air. When the knockout stages begin, ITV will have first choice when round of 16 and quarterfinal contests are scheduled, and the BBC will choose which semifinal it wishes to air. Both broadcasters will cover the December 18 final live.

UK TV Channels

• BBC 1: This channel will be the BBC’s Qatar hub. It will show 20 group stage games, all of the BBC’s knockout games and air a daily highlight show.
• BBC 2: Four group stage games to be played on November 29, November 30 and December 1 will be shown on BBC2.
• ITV: The main ITV channel will air all of the independent broadcasters Qatar coverage, which includes 24 group stage games, knockout games and the final. ITV will also show highlights each night of the tournament.
• STV: Football fans north of the border will be able to watch all of ITV’s Qatar coverage on STV.

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Streaming the Games

Both the BBC and ITV have excellent streaming services, so British fans who can’t get to a TV should have no problem watching the matches on any kind of device. Fans outside the UK will not have as much to cheer about because the BBC and ITV streaming services are both region locked.

Streaming Options

• BBC iPlayer: All of the BBC’s TV coverage from Qatar will also be available in high definition and without commercial interruption on the broadcaster’s iPlayer streaming service.
• ITVX: ITV Hub is no more. The independent broadcaster’s streaming service has been rebranded ITVX, and all of its World Cup coverage will be available on it.
• STV Player: In Scotland, fans can stream ITV games from Qatar on the STV Player.
• Radio 5: Audio commentary of all games will be broadcast live on Radio 5.
• BBC Sounds: Fans who would like to hear match commentary on mobile devices can download the BBC Sounds app for Android or iOS.

Devices to Live Stream the Action in Qatar

Both the BBC and ITV streaming services are top notch, so you should be able to watch all of the games you want on any kind of smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop or smart TV. Most of the BBC games will be broadcast in UHD video and HDR audio, so fans with fast internet connections and the latest equipment are in for a real treat.

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The Tournament Schedule

The group stage games will be shown on the BBC and ITV starting on November 18. The last group game will be played on December 2, and the round of 16 will take place between December 3 and December 9.

Quarter-final games will be held on December 9, 10 and 11, and the two semifinals will be played on December 13 and 14. The semifinal losers will fight it out for third place on December 17, and the winner of the tournament will be decided when the final is played on December 18.

What to Know Before You Go

There are few things football fans enjoy more than watching the world’s best players vie for the game’s ultimate prize, and British fans should feel lucky that two giant broadcasters will be competing against each other to bring them every second of the action. Both the BBC and ITV are pulling out all the stops, so the next few weeks should be memorable.

World Cup Qatar 2022 Viewer’s Guides Outside the US

For more information on watching matches in different areas, see our World Cup VPN Guide.

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Sharon Amondi

Sharon is Editorial Assistant at HotDog.com. She is a writer and a storyteller who loves connecting with people through telling stories. When she is not working, she watches crime documentaries and series.

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