The 2026 World Cup final takes place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and it will be the most watched event of the year across the world.

In 2022, the famous Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé final was viewed by 1.5 billion people with near to six billion engagements on social media: it really is that monumental.

Fans around the world will want to have their viewing plans confirmed ahead of time, from the right TV channels and streaming platforms to whether the match is available free to air where they live.

Whether you’re watching live, lining up playback for later, or just hunting down highlights the next morning, this guide confirms, to the best of our ability, the viewing options for the final in every region of the world.

Where to Watch the World Cup Final Worldwide

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Every region has different television and streaming rights and while many will pile into a bar to view the game, many will want the comfort of their own home.

Here’s where you can watch and stream the final, and the estimated time for the final, which is set to be 15:00pm local time in the US.

North America

Europe

South America

Africa

Asia

How to Watch World Cup Final Free

REUTERS/Mike Segar

The most accessible route is through free-to-air access. It is still very commonplace in the present day, even in countries where group-stage matches sit behind subscriptions.

Many national broadcasters opt to showcase major events like the final on free terrestrial channels. In the United States, FOX is set to broadcast the final free for all, which makes sense for a tournament being played on home soil.

Across the world, the same pattern holds: the BBC and ITV both carry the final free-to-air in the UK, as do NHK in Japan, SABC in South Africa, CCTV in China, and TV Globo in Brazil, among others.

Where streaming services are showing the game in a given region, they typically offer free trials timed to the tournament, giving fans short-term access without committing to a long-term subscription.

World Cup Final Highlights

Henry Romero via Reuters

This is the most straightforward part of accessing the World Cup final. Whilst social media will be flooded with clips, both official and non-official, highlights will be available almost instantly after the final ends.

Most broadcasters around the world will have their own official highlights that should go live within the hour of the match ending. However, the first port of call will ideally be FIFA’s official YouTube, as they upload highlights of all the games.

Some broadcasters will have short and compact highlights with just the major events, but others will share extended highlights that give a better detailed look at the game, but those tend to come a few hours or even a day after in most cases.

The UFC has been home to some of the most devastating and hard-hitting punchers in professional mixed martial arts, with many having displayed complete destruction under the promotional MMA fighting company.

The likes of Derrick Lewis, Tom Aspinall, Mark Hunt, Junior dos Santos, Thiago Santos, and Sergei Pavlovich are just some of the powerful stars that have shown off their strong punching abilities under the UFC banner in recent times.

However, UFC President and CEO, Dana White, who has seen all the top punchers perform in MMA over the years, knows who is the undisputed hardest puncher to ever represent the UFC.

Dana White’s Hardest Puncher in UFC History Revealed

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According to past comments made by White at UFC 220 in January 2018, Francis Ngannou is the hardest puncher ever in UFC history.

When White was introducing the Cameroonian fighter to the crowd before his first clash with Stipe Miocic eight years ago, he laid out the facts to prove just how devastating the fighter’s punching abilities were.

“Francis is a guy who has the world record for the most powerful punch. His punches are equivalent to 96 horsepower. That’s equal to getting hit by a Ford Escort going as fast as it can,” the UFC boss explained ahead of the heavyweight world title showdown eight years ago.

“And it’s more powerful than a 12-pound sledgehammer from full force overhead. Holy s***,” White added back then.

However, White’s praise for Ngannou’s power did little for the MMA star during UFC 220, as Miocic was able to steer clear of the hard-hitting punches and was able to out-wrestle his opponent over five rounds.

Ngannou lost via unanimous decision, but he did get his revenge on the American three years later at UFC 260, knocking him out with a ferocious left hook inside two rounds to claim the UFC heavyweight championship.

Following the rematch win, Ngannou successfully defended his heavyweight crown against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 a year later, before stepping away from fighting under the UFC banner and pursuing a career in professional boxing.

Francis Ngannou’s Departure From UFC

The former UFC heavyweight star went on to face former boxing heavyweight world champions, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

While Ngannou held his own against Fury, by knocking down the British star in the fifth round and losing controversially on points, he was taught a boxing lesson by Joshua, losing via a thumping knockout inside just two rounds.

Ngannou has since returned to the cage, albeit not with White and the UFC banner. Instead, he has fought in MMA events organised by both the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).

The heavyweight knocked out Renan Ferreira in just a round in the headlining contest at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants in 2024. He then secured another opening knockout win two months ago on the undercard of the MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano card, stopping Philipe Lins.

With a free-scoring Lionel Messi in your team, it’s hard not to be in a singing mood. And the Argentina fans have been in full voice, with “La Cuarta Estrella” reverberating around the 2026 World Cup stadia during the tournament.

The Argentina anthem has gone viral online, with its punchy tune finding an audience online. But with lyrics packed full of interesting cultural, political, and historical references, what else does “La Cuarta Estrella” tell its listeners about Argentina as a nation?

GIVEMESPORT brings you everything you need to know about the song ‘La Cuarta Estrella’.

Argentina Fans’ Song ‘La Cuarta Estrella’ (The Fourth Star)

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The song’s title is firstly a mark of ambition for the Albiceleste. The players and fans are aiming for their fourth World Cup triumph and a “fourth star” to emblazon their blue and white shirts.

Set to the rhythm of “No me arrepiento de este amor” by famed Argentine singer Gilda, and written by Argentinian musician Palmito Musica, the deeply patriotic anthem serves as a worthy successor to Argentina’s viral 2022 World Cup song “Muchachos”.

The song weaves a story that covers the recent and distant history of Argentina, both as a nation and a football team. Chief among them, the latest World Cup triumph in 2022, as symbolised by Lionel Messi‘s inclusion in the lyrics.

Interestingly, the song also refers to the controversy of the 1994 World Cup, where captain Diego Maradona tested positive for five stimulant substances and was banned from playing in the tournament. Thirty-two years later, and there is a great circularity to that lyric. Maradona’s heartbreak occurred at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, and now Argentina have a great chance of avenging that tournament with victory in the same location.

Beyond the country’s footballing idols, there is a strong sense of national pride. “I am Argentinian from the cradle to the grave,” read the lyrics, implying the eternal love that the fans share for their country.

The lyrics also briefly mention the Malvinas, also known as the Falkland Islands, a territory that was contested during the 1982 war of the same name. References to their political and cultural history, and a willingness to dig up past controversies, highlight a heart-on-your-sleeve sensibility that unites the Argentinians in their common goal of achieving that coveted “Fourth Star”.

La Cuarta Estrella Lyrics

Reuters/Brett Davis

Spanish Lyrics

English Translation

Argentina Fans Singing La Cuarta Estrella

You can watch a brilliant video of the Argentina fans singing the song in the video above. The video features English and Italian translated subtitles too.