How Americans Plan to Watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup

The world's biggest sporting event this year will be the 2026 FIFA World Cup, taking place starting Thursday, June 11, and going for 39 days until it culminates on Sunday, July 19, 2026. The tournament will host 48 teams and 104 matches across 16 cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and fans are gearing up to stream the tournament.

We asked 1,000 U.S. FIFA World Cup fans about their plans for watching the World Cup, and found 48% will sign up for either Peacock Premium or FOX One to watch, 95% plan to tune in for the Final, and 92% plan to watch Team USA matches.

On top of that, we identified each state's favorite FIFA World Cup team based on a state-by-state analysis of Google Trends search interest, and we'll just say, while Team USA is a major national draw, interest in international teams varies widely by state.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is shaping up to be a multi-screen event between social media, traditional TV, and live TV streaming.

The majority of Americans said they planned to watch through social media clips and highlights (81%), on traditional TV or cable (73%), or with FOX One or Peacock Premium (59%).

Though 35% of Americans reported having difficulty finding matches in the past, 81% say they know where to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup. With more widespread information, ease of access to streaming apps, and faster internet speeds to keep up with live streaming, it's easier to catch all the games you want these days.

Roughly 80% of Americans plan on tuning in on opening day, but not all of 'em plan on staying with the streaming services they signed up for: while nearly 48% of Americans say they sign up for streaming specifically to watch the World Cup, as many as 22% said they would cancel their streaming subscriptions after the tournament.

So while viewership and subscriptions pick up during the event, they'll also fall away, albeit to a lesser degree. And aside from the streaming services, there are plenty of ways to watch for both English- and Spanish-speaking fans.

FOX Sports announced it will broadcast all 104 matches, with 70 matches on FOX and 34 on FS1. Matches will also stream through FOX One and the FOX Sports App.

Telemundo will broadcast all 104 matches live in Spanish, with 92 airing free over-the-air on Telemundo and 12 matches on Universo. You can also catch every match live on Peacock (for Premium and Premium Plus subscribers) and the Telemundo app.

Select matches will be available for free with a digital antenna through local FOX and Telemundo affiliates, depending on local availability and match broadcast placement. If you've already picked up a digital TV antenna, you'll have to check your local listings for specific events.

For streaming-focused readers, mention FOX One, the FOX Sports App, and Peacock as the most relevant options tied to World Cup coverage.

Readers with cable, satellite, or live TV streaming packages should look for access to FOX, FS1, Telemundo, and Universo.

Signing up for specific shows or events and then cancelling is a common practice, but are FIFA fans in for the long haul?

Compared to the nearly 59% of people who will keep their subscription, roughly 24% of new subscribers plan to cancel after 2 or 3 months and 17% said they will cancel immediately.

It's no surprise that the majority of Americans plan on tuning into Team USA, but aside from that, there are sizeable shares of fans for teams in South America and Europe: Nearly 70% of people would watch matches featuring Brazil, and England has 67% of the US fan base's interest, and Spain comes not too far behind at 61%.

It's worth noting that nearly 60% of American fans would watch teams from Germany, Argentina, France, and Mexico, showing American soccer/futbol fans have more than a passing home-team interest in the World Cup.

For 44.5% of respondents, watching the World Cup won't cost anything because they already have free options or existing subscriptions.

And while nearly 10% of FIFA fans plan on spending over $100 on World Cup streaming, the majority of paying customers are looking to spend anywhere less than $50. About 22% of respondents said they'd pay $51-$100 on streaming, and 21% said they could get away with spending $1-$20 on streaming subscriptions.

Among those who expect to pay to tune in, average expected spend is $36.44.

Streaming the 2026 FIFA World Cup remains a relatively cheap expense compared to buying tickets for the games. For under $50, possibly $20 or less, you can catch every single game that fits within your schedule.

Now here's where you can start getting into some "local matches" about the world's best teams. We analyzed Google Search trends to see which World Cup teams were generating the most interest in each state. Do you align with your state's most-searched-for teams?

Key map takeaways:

• United States leads in 17 states plus D.C.
• Portugal leads in 9 states, including California, Georgia, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Texas.
• Canada leads in 9 states, including Florida, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Washington.
• Italy leads in Connecticut, Delaware, and New Jersey.
• Japan leads in Hawaii and Wyoming.
• Spain leads in Indiana and North Carolina.
• One-state winners include Argentina in Alabama, Mexico in Arizona, Belgium in Illinois, France in Massachusetts, El Salvador in Maryland, Morocco in Virginia, and Ghana in North Dakota.

In 17 states and D.C., including places like Alaska, Idaho, and Kentucky, they fly their fútbol flags for Team USA, but you might be surprised to hear that Alabama is all about Argentina, or Tennessee has its eyes on Canada.

Perhaps the relative proximity and mixed populations in Hawaii help sway its fans' waves toward Team Japan, but you couldn't say the same for Wyoming, Japan's other stateside fanbase. It's possible Florida and California have found a coastal cohort in Portugal's kickers, but landlocked Oklahoma also has an affinity for the Portuguese team.

Whatever reasons people are looking up to these teams in preparation for the World Cup (they may even be their biggest rivals), Americans are interested in more than Team USA in the upcoming FIFA tournament.