After what seem to many football fans like an unusually long four-year absence, the beloved FIFA World Cup finally returns to the global stage this summer for a month-long run. Coverage of the event will be robust as more than one billion of Earth’s denizens are expected to tune in when the best national squads convene in Russia from 14th June through 15th July. In addition to televised matches, a host of web outlets will broadcast the footie competition and commentary straight to internet connected devices.
Here are a few different ways you can catch 2018 FIFA World Cup action on TV and online.
TV broadcasting remains a standard with this year’s tournament. Matches will be televised on 160 networks with most providing free-to-air broadcasts. In South Africa, SuperSport, SABC, and StarTimes share the FIFA official broadcasting rights.
Beginning on 18th April, SuperSport launched SuperSport 13, a dedicated 24-hour FIFA World Cup pop-up channel. The channel features legacy tournament footage, classic highlights, and documentaries from past World Cups amongst other content. Warm-up matches will also be shown to prime fans for the main event.
Multichoice customers can enjoy a variety of televised fixtures on DStv and GOtv. Premium satellite provider DStv will broadcast the 64 match entirety of the FIFA World Cup on all packages. Terrestrial TV viewers will get the same full schedule treatment with the GOtv MAX and Plus packages. GOtv Value and GOtv Lite packages will also host select fixtures.
Expect social media sites to play a large role in offering content for fans seeking fixtures online. Proclaimed as “The Frontpage of the Internet”, Reddit.com will likely feature a number of pages, or subreddits, carrying live streams. You can join millions of football-loving followers on the Soccerstreams subreddit for continuously updated links to match streams.
YouTube promises to be another hot spot for viewing the 2018 FIFA World Cup fixtures. The popular video streaming site will boast both official and unlisted broadcasts. If you are unable to find the match you want on a featured channel, try searching the countries facing off with a search term like “Egypt vs. Uruguay FIFA World Cup”. A major benefit of watching on YouTube is the ability to select HD or SD streams.
You may also be able to access content about matches using Twitter by following the hashtag #fifaworldcup2018. Twitter has partnered with US network FOX to provide high-quality live streams.
Streaming fixtures from the site of a FIFA-affiliated network presents another option for free online viewing. Although online broadcast rights to this year’s FIFA World Cup vary by region, you can stream from international TV networks by obtaining an IP address for your device in a different country. For example, you can stream BBC broadcasts by using an IP address in the UK. This method requires some technical knowledge of using a VPN or internet proxy server.
In addition to the live fixtures, FIFA World Cup fans will also want to follow news, analysis, and odds from the tournament. Trusted online sports news sites providing extensive coverage of the Cup happenings in Russia include Sky Sports, BetStars, and the official FIFA site.
The wait for the greatest sporting event is over after four long years. And fortunately, you won’t miss a second of global football fever. A world of FIFA World Cup viewing options are available with TV broadcasts, fixtures live streaming online, and expert football news sources.
