Fans Soccer to FIFA Plus Will Bring Thousands of Matches for Free
The streaming service will carry live matches as well as past World Cup tournaments. FIFA on Tuesday launched a new streaming service, FIFA Plus. While the service promises thousands of live men’s and women’s matches each year, fans reportedly won’t be able to livestream games from the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup.
FIFA Plus plans to stream over 40,000 live matches a year and will also include an archive of past World Cup tournaments. launching with more than 2,500 videos dating back to the 1950s, according to a release. The service will also offer a daily feed of news on soccer around the world and interactive elements such as fantasy games, quizzes and predictors. In addition, FIFA Plus has a lineup of original series, featuring full-length documentaries, docuseries, talk shows and localized shorts. Some of the titles available a launch include Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World, a documentary about the soccer star, and Captains, a docuseries that follows six captains as they lead teams through qualification for the 2022 World Cup.
The service is launching ahead of the Qatar World Cup, which is scheduled to kick off in November, but won’t livestream those matches, according to Variety. There is no plan to have premium World Cup live rights on the platform today, Charlotte Burr, the lead of FIFA Plus, told Variety.
FIFA Plus is free to download on mobile and desktop devices and is available in five languages: English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. The service will be available in six more languages in June, according to the release, and will be coming to connected devices soon. Can I Buy Tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Right Now? FIFA announced the host cities for the 2026 World Cup in the US on Thursday. In 2026, the US will host World Cup matches for the second time ever, and the first since 1994. On Thursday, FIFA, the international governing body of football, announced the 16 host cities for the 2026 matches, including 11 in the US, three in Mexico and two in Canada. The 2026 World Cup will mark the first time three countries will host the soccer competition jointly.
FIFA accepted the joint bid from Canada, Mexico and the US to host the 2026 World Cup back in June 2018, beating Morocco in a final vote during the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow. Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup starting in November.
If you’re interested in attending the 2026 World Cup, here’s what you need to know about the host cities and when you’ll be able to get your hands on tickets to watch one of the greatest events in sports in person.
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup doesn’t yet have set dates, but is expected to return to a summer timeline in 2026, sometime in June or July. Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, told Fox Sports channel that FIFA will take our time with the decision when it comes to setting the opening matches and the final. This year’s World Cup will take place in Qatar, starting Nov. 21 and running through Dec. 18. FIFA scheduled the matches late in the year to avoid Qatar’s summer heat. (Had it been held elsewhere, it would likely have begun June 10, when the temperature hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit in Doha, Qatar’s capital, according to The Guardian.)
Who will be in the 2026 World Cup?
The first round of the 2026 World Cup will include 48 teams, an increase from the usual 32-team format, playing 80 matches across North America, making it the largest World Cup in FIFA history. The first round will be divided into 16 groups, consisting of three countries each. The top two countries of each group will advance to the next stage.
FIFA is expected to announce whether any of the 2026 host countries will automatically qualify for the World Cup, which is typical for the tournament.
In which cities will the 2026 World Cup take place?
FIFA has announced the host cities for 2026, which include:
Atlanta
Boston
Dallas
Guadalajara, Mexico
Houston
Kansas City, Missouri
Los Angeles
Mexico City
Miami
Monterrey, Mexico
New York/New Jersey
Philadelphia
San Francisco Bay Area
Seattle
Toronto
Vancouver
FIFA will announce which of the 16 cities will host group play and elimination rounds nearer the start of the tournament.
Can I buy 2026 World Cup tickets right now?
As of now, tickets to the 2026 World Cup are not on sale. FIFA will announce more information later. You can expect tickets to go on sale sometime in 2025 or 2026. Tickets for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar first went on sale in January this year.