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Tonight we'll see intense battles for the final six World Cup places, with the first match kicking off at 5pm GMT / 10am PT / 1pm ET and at 4am in Australia. Four of the six places will be given to European teams, with the remaining two going to the victors of the Inter-Confederation Play-offs. If you're wondering how to watch the World Cup Qualifiers, you're in the right place.
The European qualifiers take place today, Thursday 26 March (Friday 27th if you're in Australia) and the streaming rights are shared across multiple broadcasters, so it's a little complicated to see who's going to be streaming what. But that's what we're here for, and we've got the details of where to stream in the UK, US and Australia right here.
UK: BBC iPlayer (free) / FIFA+ (free) / Prime Video (£2.49 PPV)
US: Fox Sports ($19.99/month) / Fubo TV (from $45.99/month) / ViX ($6.99/month)
AUS: Stan Sport ($20/month) and FIFA+ (free)
Watch from abroad: NordVPN (Exclusive offer: 4 months free + Amazon gift card)
The matches tonight will decide which of the remaining teams get to play in the World Cup this summer, which will be co-hosted by three countries who have already qualified: the US, Canada and Mexico.
The European qualifiers take place tonight, 26 March, and the finals will follow on Tuesday 31 March 2026. There will be two finals, with the winners of the semi-finals facing Congo DR and Iraq.
There are four paths here. Path A has Italy vs Northern Ireland and Wales v Bosnia-Herzegovina; Path B has Ukraine v Sweden and Poland v Albania; Path C is Turkiye v Romania and Slovakia v Kosovo; and Path D has Denmark v North Macedonia and the Czech Republic v the Republic of Ireland.
The winner of the Path A final will join Canada, Switzerland and Quatar in Group B; Path B's winner will join Group F with Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia; Path C's victor will join Group D alongside the US, Paraguay and Australia; and the winner of the Path D final will go to Group A with Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
If you're planning to go in person to this year's World Cup, the fourth and final ticket phase will take place from 1 April on a first-come, first-served basis. FIFA believes that attendance this year may well exceed 1994's record-breaking 3.5 million football fans.
How to watch the World Cup Qualifiers for free
FIFA+ will be streaming the Inter-Confederation matches for free, and in the UK the BBC will be streaming the Northern Ireland and Wales matches for free on iPlayer.
Broadcast and streaming rights differ from country to country but UEFA has published a list of every single broadcaster carrying the qualifiers, which you can find right here.
A VPN can help you unlock streams by making it look like you're viewing from your home country. NordVPN is our first choice and GamesRadar+ readers can score four months free on top of up to 77% off and a free Amazon gift card.
How to watch the World Cup Qualifiers 2026 in the US
In the US, the broadcast rights are shared between Fox Sports, Fubo TV and ViX. FIFA+ will be streaming the Inter-Confederation play-offs for free. Fox Sports will be carrying the European qualifiers and the Inter-Confederation playoffs; Fubo will have the five European qualifiers; and Vix will have all the matches.
The first match kicks off at 10am PT / 12 noon Central / 1pm ET.
How to watch the World Cup Qualifiers 2026 in the UK
The BBC will be streaming the Northern Ireland and Wales matches for free on iPlayer and FIFA+ will be streaming the Inter-Confederation Play-Offs, also for free. But the majority of matches will be pay-per-view on Prime Video. The first match, between Turkiye and Romania, starts at 5pm GMT on Thursday 26 March.
How to watch the World Cup Qualifiers 2026 in Australia
In Australia the World Cup Qualifiers are being streamed by Stan Sport, and FIFA+ will be streaming the Inter-Confederation play-offs for free.
Because of the time differences the first match takes place not on Thursday 26 March but on Friday 27 March: the kick-off for that one, between Turkiye and Romania, is at 4am.
Which teams are playing in the World Cup Qualifiers 2026?
Twenty-two teams remain: Congo DR, Jamaica, New Caledonia, Iraq, Bolivia, Suriname, Italy, Northern Ireland, Wales, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Sweden, Poland, Albania, Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia, Kosovo, Denmark, North Macedonia, Czechia and the Republic of Ireland.
Who has already qualified for the World Cup 2026?
Lots of teams have already booked their tickets to the tournament, which will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US. The full list of qualified teams is online at the FIFA website here.
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