How to watch 2026 World Cup Qualifiers — live stream UEFA, CAF, AFC and CONCACAF games from anywhere for free

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At least nine teams will qualify for the World Cup over the coming days — and in potentially controversial circumstances

Cristiano Ronaldo (R) celebrates after scoring the 1-2 penalty goal as Hungary's midfielder #17 Callum Styles reacts during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers Europe zone group F football match between Hungary and Portugal on September 9, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.
(Image credit: ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)
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At least nine teams will secure World Cup qualification during this international break, while 25 hopefuls — or more — will be eliminated from contention. It's crunch time for AFC and CAF nations, while England could become the first UEFA team to clinch a spot at the tournament in Mexico, Canada and the U.S..

You can watch 2026 World Cup Qualifiers from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free.

2026 World Cup Qualifiers live streams: TV schedule, dates

The current 2026 World Cup Qualifying round runs from Wednesday, October 8 to Tuesday, October 14. Full schedule below.
• UEFA — ITVX / BBC iPlayer / Virgin Media Play / RTÉ Player (select games FREE in U.K. & Ireland)
• CAF — FIFA Plus (all games FREE in U.K., CA, AU)
• AFC — YouTube (all games FREE in U.S., CA)
• CONCACAF — YouTube (all games FREE in U.K., CA, AU)
• Watch anywhere — Try NordVPN 100% risk free

The latest stage of AFC Qualifying is proving highly controversial. Six nations have already qualified, and the winners of a pair of three-team mini-leagues are set to join them imminently. Group A comprises Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman; Group B comprises Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Indonesia. They'll only play each other once.

However, every Group A game is being played in Qatar, and every Group B game in Saudi Arabia. No explanation has been provided for the choice of venues. Furthermore, both Qatar and Saudi Arabia will get five days of rest between their fixtures, whereas their opponents are being made to play twice in 72 hours. The two bottom-placed teams will be eliminated, while the two runners-up will face off for a place in the inter-confederation playoffs.

The mammoth CAF group stage is finally about to conclude, with the nine winners gaining automatic qualification and the four best runners-up set to battle for a single inter-confederation playoffs splot. Morocco and Tunisia are already through, while Mohamed Salah’s Egypt, Riyad Mahrez's Algeria and Mohammed Kudus' Ghana are on track. Senegal and Ivory Coast still have more to do, while Bryan Mbeumo's Cameroon are on the fringes. Victor Osimhen's Nigeria, however, are in dire straits.

UEFA Qualifying is in its infancy, although Alexander Isak's Sweden are already facing a steep uphill battle. Although UEFA look set to belatedly ban Israel from European competition, World Cup Qualifying falls under FIFA's jurisdiction. The governing body has aligned itself with the Donald Trump regime, which has indicated that it will grant Israel automatic qualification if it misses the cut.

CONCACAF Qualifying also has a long way to go, while the CONMEBOL and OFC sections are done and dusted until the inter-confederation playoffs next March.

Check out all of the TV and streaming details below to find out how to watch World Cup Qualifiers from anywhere, including free options.

Watch 2026 World Cup Qualifiers for FREE

You can watch every CAF Qualifier free-of-charge on FIFA Plus in the U.K., Canada and Australia; every AFC Qualifier free-of charge on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube channel in the U.S. and Canada, and every CONCACAF Qualifier free-of-charge on the CONCACAF YouTube channel in the U.K., Canada and Australia.

Select CONCACAF Qualifiers are also being shown for free in the U.S., on CBS Sports Golazo.

Select UEFA Qualifiers are free-to-air on ITVX and BBC iPlayer in the U.K, RTÉ Player and Virgin Media Play in Ireland, ORF ON and ServusTV On in Austria, RTBF Auvio in Belgium, L'Equipe TV and TF1 Player in France, ARD and ZDF in Germany, Rai Play in Italy, NOS in the Netherlands, TV2 Play in Norway, RTVE Play in Spain, and Play RSI, Play RTS and Play SRF in Switzerland.

Away from home? You may not be able to watch the action like you normally would due to regional restrictions. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution — you can use a VPN to watch World Cup Qualifiers for free. We’ll show you how to do that below.

Watch 2026 World Cup Qualifiers from anywhere

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the soccer on your usual subscription?

You can still watch 2026 World Cup Qualifiers live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software can make your devices appear to be back in your home country regardless of where you are, making it ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN — we explain why in our NordVPN review.

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How to watch European World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Harry Kane of England celebrates victory following the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifier between England and Albania at Wembley Stadium on March 21, 2025 in London, England.

(Image credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

🇬🇧 In the U.K., England games are free-to-air on ITVX, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland games are free-to-air on BBC iPlayer. All other games are on Prime Video, which costs £8.99/month or £95/year after a 30-day free trial.

🇺🇸 In the U.S., games are split between FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and Fubo TV.

🇨🇦 In Canada, every game is exclusive to DAZN, which starts at CA$24.99/month.

🇦🇺 In Australia, all games are exclusive to Stan Sport, which starts at AU$32/month.

UEFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying schedule

(All times ET)

Thursday, October 9
2:45 p.m. — Belarus vs Denmark
2:45 p.m. — Scotland vs Greece
12 p.m. — Finland vs Lithuania
2:45 p.m. — Malta vs Netherlands
2:45 p.m. — Austria vs San Marino
2:45 p.m. — Cyprus vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
2:45 p.m. — Czechia vs Croatia
2:45 p.m. — Faroe Islands vs Montenegro

How to watch African World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Morocco's forward Ayoub El Kaabi celebrates scoring during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E African qualification football match between Morocco and Niger at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat on September 5, 2025.

(Image credit: ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT/AFP via Getty Images)

In the U.K., Canada and Australia, all games are free-to-air on FIFA Plus.

In the U.S., games aren't being shown live, but full replays are available to watch on-demand and for free on FIFA Plus.

CAF World Cup 2026 Qualifying schedule

(All times ET)

Wednesday, October 8
9 a.m. — Eswatini vs Angola
9 a.m. — Ethiopia vs Guinea-Bissau
9 a.m. — Libya vs Cape Verde
9 a.m. — Mauritius vs Cameroon
12 p.m. — Djibouti vs Egypt
12 p.m. — Sierra Leone vs Burkina Faso
12 p.m. — Central African Republic vs Ghana
12 p.m. — Chad vs Mali
12 p.m. — Comoros vs Madagascar
3 p.m. — Niger vs Congo
3 p.m. — Tanzania vs Zambia

How to watch Asian World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Saleh Aboulshamat of Saudi Arabia celebrates after scoring the 1st goal during the AFC Asian qualifiers 4th Round Group B match between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia at King Abdullah Sports City on October 8, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

(Image credit: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

In the U.S. and Canada, all games are free-to-air on the AFC Asian Cup YouTube channel.

In the U.K., each game is available for a £3.99 PPV fee via OneFootball TV.

In Australia, all games are exclusive to Paramount Plus, which starts at AU$6.99/month after a 7-day FREE trial.

AFC World Cup 2026 Qualifying schedule

(All times ET)

Wednesday, October 8
11 a.m. — Oman vs Qatar
1:15 p.m. — Indonesia vs Saudi Arabia

How to watch CONCACAF World Cup 2026 Qualifiers

Honduras' defender #02 Getsel Montes celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Concacaf qualifier football match between Honduras and Antigua and Barbuda at the Chelato Ucles National stadium in Tegucigalpa on June 10, 2025.

(Image credit: ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images)

In the U.K., Canada and Australia, all games are free-to-air on the CONCACAF YouTube channel.

In the U.S., select games are free-to air on CBS Sports Golazo. All games, however, are being shown on Paramount Plus, which starts at $7.99/month after a 7-day FREE trial.

CONCACAF World Cup 2026 Qualifying schedule

(All times ET)

Thursday, October 9
8 p.m. — Nicaragua vs Haiti
10 p.m. — Honduras vs Costa Rica

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Aatif Sulleyman
Aatif Sulleyman

Aatif is a freelance journalist and copywriter based in the UK. He’s written about technology, sport and politics for a wide range of publications including TechRadar, What Hi-Fi?, The Independent, Trusted Reviews, and Newsweek. These days, he focuses mainly on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: live TV and penny-pinching. When he's not attending a top-flight English soccer match, you can find him perfecting his table tennis skills.

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