This article introduces and explains how to watch the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament live and how to watch the latest broadcasts online or on terrestrial TV for free. The FIFA World Cup is a major tournament watched by soccer fans from all over the world. The venue rotates between Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa, and the times vary.
TV stations and distribution services broadcasting the World Cup
Taking the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as a reference, all matches were broadcast for free on ABEMA TV. Basically, you couldn’t watch live soccer games on ABEMA TV unless you registered as a premium member. However, at the Qatar World Cup, I was able to watch all matches for free. In other places, there was a terrestrial broadcast. For those who missed the kick-off, ABEMA TV will also stream highlights and may be available for download. You can watch plenty of featured matches on the screen.
ABEMA TV
ABEMA was streaming all 64 World Cup matches live for free. Although we only occasionally offer free streaming, ABEMA also broadcasts the Premier League, focusing on teams with Japanese players. It’s also very convenient because you can watch live soccer on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. The price is also quite reasonable, so this channel is recommended for those who want to try it out. Another advantage is that the first registration is free for two weeks, and you can cancel immediately.
| Service | ABEMA TV |
| Contents | FIFA World Cup Premier League Scottish Premier League |
| URL | オリジナルコンテンツ数No1！【ABEMAプレミアム】 |
NHK General or NHK-BS
It was also possible to watch only a few selected games on NHK. However, I only watched a few games, so I can’t recommend it to anyone who wants to watch all the games. But being able to watch it for free would be a huge benefit. In the World Cup, there is a tendency to broadcast all games from the quarterfinals onwards. In 2022, I was able to watch matches from Portugal, Belgium, Spain, Germany, France, England, the Netherlands, and more.
Are commercial broadcasts free?
TV Asahi and Fuji TV also had broadcast rights for 2022. It was possible to watch only a few selected games, centered on the Japanese national team, on the match schedule. However, I only watched a few games, so I can’t recommend it to anyone who wants to watch all the games. But being able to watch it for free would be a huge benefit. There were also notable matches such as Morocco, Argentina, and Australia in the final round.
Youtube
You can also watch some games live on Youtube, such as during the group stage. We picked up and broadcast matches such as Denmark and Uruguay. I was able to watch the matches on the official website on devices such as tablets, Android, and PCs, but I was not able to select the matches I wanted to watch. It is also a rare and enjoyable content to watch other sports.
World Cup holding method and regulations
The FIFA World Cup is a world championship for national teams sponsored by FIFA, the international football federation. The World Cup is considered the biggest sporting event in the world, with a total TV audience of over 31 billion people. The venue will be a pre-determined stadium in the host country, and the competition will be to compete for the championship. You can check the official website in Japan as well, so check it out now for details. The settings are simple, so you can enjoy the matches being streamed. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the various countries on the schedule.
How to choose a host country
The host country will vote for the World Cup host country from among the countries that are nominated. The decision will be voted on by football associations around the world. By the way, the host country may host the event alone or jointly, so the situation changes from time to time. Since the 2000s, an increasing number of countries have been aiming to jointly host the event, and there is a possibility that the number of independent events will decrease in the future. In principle, the event will be held on a rotation basis among six continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, South America, and North America), and the principle is to invite candidate countries from countries other than the continents where the last two games have been held. The host country will be determined below.
Holding method
The format of the event is that only the host country can participate in the tournament. Other countries will participate from the preliminary round even if they have won the tournament. In the preliminary round, before the main tournament, the world is divided into six regions and home and away matches are played in each region, with the country with the highest number of points participating. There are 48 countries that can participate, and slots will be allocated as follows.
| Europe (UEFA) | 16 |
| Africa (CAF) | 9.5 |
| Asia (AFC) | 8.5 |
| South America (CONMEBOL) | 6.5 |
| North Central America Caribbean (CONCACAF) | 6.5 |
| Oceania (OFC) | 1.5 |
group league
Countries that have decided to participate in the tournament will form groups, and a round robin will be held to see which countries have the most points. The teams will be divided into 16 groups of 3 and the top 2 teams will advance to the final tournament.
Final tournament
The final tournament will be a one-shot battle between the countries that made it through the group stage. It will be a tournament with 32 teams competing in a one-shot battle until the finals. There will also be a separate match for third place between the two teams that lost in the semi-finals.
championship trophy
The winning team will receive a trophy and prize money. Soccer attracts a lot more attention to its players than tennis, rugby, baseball, or golf, and the prize is the championship trophy.
Which is the recommended way to watch soccer?
The company that owns the rights to soccer broadcasts changes every year, so be sure to check back frequently. The latest information is posted in the article below, so please use it as a reference only. We have put together a list of multiple streaming services that offer unlimited viewing of Europe’s major leagues, the J League, and national teams on smartphone apps and PCs, so please take a look. These are live broadcasts.
| Channel | Plan | Soccer Contents | URL |
| DAZN | \3750 | national team major europe leagues J league | DAZN |
| Hulu | ¥1026 | french league dutch league | Hulu |
| WOWOW | \2530 | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League | WOWOW |
| ABEMA TV | ¥960 | national team World Cup Premier League scottish league | ABEMA |
| スカパー | ¥429 + ¥2480 | national team emperor’s cup soccer Bundesliga laliga | スカパー！ |
| J SPORTS | \1100 | fifa world youth | J SPORTS |
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