The 2018 FIFA Men's World Cup kicks off (literally and figuratively) at 11 a.m. ET June 14, with Saudi Arabia taking on host Russia. And as always, one of the biggest questions we get is about watching live sports over streaming services.
The good news is this: Yes, you can watch live sports on streaming services. And that goes for the World Cup, too.
This year's World Cup (it comes around once every four years) will be streaming on Fox (broadcast), FS1, and on the Fox Sports app.
Watching the World Cup on Fox and FS1
When it comes to the Fox broadcast channel, some services may have it, others might not. It depends on the service itself, and it depends on where you live. PlayStation Vue where I live, for instance, doesn't have access to it. YouTube TV does. So your mileage may vary.
However: After consulting the CordCutters Channel Matrix, we see that every major streaming service carries FS1. So that's covered.
Which streaming services have FS1
| Header Cell - Column 0 | PlayStation Vue | DirecTV Now | Sling TV | Hulu Live | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS1 | x | x | x | x | x |
See the full CordCutters Channel Matrix
Watching Fox over-the-air
You'll also probably be able to watch Fox with an over-the-air antenna. Frankly, this is my preferred way to watch network channels because the OTA broadcasts look better — they're not as heavily compressed as they are when they're being fed through streaming services.
The key to OTA antennas is to get them as high as possible — on a roof is best, with as few close-by obstructions as possible. You'll also want to make sure it's pointing in the direction of the weakest network signal. To get help with that, we recommend sites like TVFool and AntennaWeb.
If you can't do an outdoor antenna, an indoor model may get the job done. Everyone's circumstances will be different, so you'll want to check things out before the games begin.
See the best antennas for cord-cutters
Watch the FIFA Men's World Cup in the Fox Sports App
If an app is more your thing, Fox has you covered. Do note that at times games being broadcast on Fox or FS1 might not be available in the Fox Sports app. (We'll have to see if that happens with the World Cup, but it most certainly happens with other sports. It's all about licensing.)
The World Cup Schedule
Here's how the first round of the 2018 FIFA Men's World Cup breaks down this year. All times are Eastern.
Thursday, June 14
- 11 a.m. (Fox): Russia vs. Saudi Arabia
Friday, June 15
- 8 a.m. (FS1): Egypt vs. Uruguay
- 11 a.m. (Fox): Morocco vs. Iran
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Portugal vs. Spain
Saturday, June 16
- 6 a.m. (FS1): France vs. Australia
- 9 a.m. (Fox): Argentina vs. Iceland
- Noon (FS1): Peru vs. Denmark
- 3 p.m. (FS1): Croatia vs. Nigeria
Sunday, June 17
- 8 a.m. (Fox): Costa Rica vs. Serbia
- 11 a.m. (FS1): Germany vs. Mexico
- 2 p.m. (FS1): Brazil vs. Switzerland
Monday, June 18
- 8 a.m. (FS1): Sweden vs. Korea Republic
- 11 a.m. (FS1): Belgium vs. Panama
- 2 p.m. (FS1): Tunisia vs. England
Tuesday, June 19
- 8 a.m. (FS1): Colombia vs. Japan
- 11 a.m. (Fox): Poland vs. Senegal
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Russia vs. Egypt
Wednesday, June 20
- 8 a.m. (FS1): Portugal vs. Morocco
- 11 a.m. (Fox): Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Iran vs. Spain
Thursday, June 21
- 8 a.m. (FS1): Denmark vs. Australia
- 11 a.m. (Fox): France vs. Peru
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Argentina vs. Croatia
Friday, June 22
- 8 a.m. (FS1): Brazil vs. Costa Rica
- 11 a.m. (Fox): Nigeria vs. Iceland
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Serbia vs. Switzerland
Saturday, June 23
- 8 a.m. (Fox): Belgium vs. Tunisia
- 11 a.m. (Fox): Korea Republic vs. Mexico
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Germany vs. Sweden
Sunday, June 24
- 8 a.m. (FS1): England vs. Panama
- 11 a.m. (Fox): Japan vs. Senegal
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Poland vs. Colombia
Monday, June 25
- 10 a.m. (Fox): Uruguay vs. Russia
- 10 a.m. (FS1): Saudi Arabia vs. Egypt
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Iran vs. Portugal
- 2 p.m. (FS1): Spain vs. Morocco
Tuesday, June 26
- 10 a.m. (Fox): Denmark vs. France
- 10 a.m. (FS1): Australia vs. Peru
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Nigeria vs. Argentina
- 2 p.m. (FS1): Iceland vs. Croatia
Wednesday, June 27
- 10 a.m. (FS1): Korea Republic vs. Germany
- 10 a.m. (Fox): Mexico vs. Sweden
- 2 p.m. (Fox): Serbia vs. Brazil
- 2 p.m. (FS1): Switzerland vs. Costa Rica
Thursday, June 28
- 10 a.m. (Fox): Senegal vs. Colombia
- 10 a.m. (FS1): Japan vs. Poland
- 2 p.m. (FS1): Panama vs. Tunisia
- 2 p.m. (Fox): England vs. Belgium
