The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar is much anticipated and just like everyone else out there, I am super excited to watch the matches live. The excitement doesn’t have to wait another year because the world cup qualifying matches are readily available right now!
I had to literally scrub off so many pages trying to watch the matches live because the content provider varies from one country to another. You can watch it directly on fifa.com which has divided the world into multiple regions including Africa, Asia, Europe and the American regions.
For those living in India, I would advise you to check out Disney+ Hotstar, a popular streaming service to catch both live and pre-recorded replay matches.
Soccer WorldCup Schedule
In fifa.com, the official Road to Qatar 2022 schedule for teams in Europe has been officially revealed on the 7th of December, 2020. With millions of fans and some competitive teams to face off, the groups have been split.
I am not really surprised with how the teams have been split and it is going to be one exciting world cup to watch in a year’s time. The total number of groups is split based on different countries that play soccer in the European continent with Group A hosting Portugal, Serbia among other countries.
Here’s a quick list for you to skim through and find out which group your favorite team belongs to.
Group A: Portugal, Serbia, Republic of Ireland, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan
Group B: Spain, Sweden, Greece, Georgia, Kosovo
Group C: Italy, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania
Group D: France, Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan
Group E: Belgium, Wales, Czech Republic, Belarus, Estonia
Group F: Denmark, Austria, Scotland, Israel, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Group G: Netherlands, Turkey, Norway, Montenegro, Latvia, Gibraltar
Group H: Croatia, Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta
Group I: England, Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andorra, San Marino
Group J: Germany, Romania, Iceland, North Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein
I really couldn’t have asked for more because the European teams are far more demanding in the football game than other regions, making these qualifiers an exciting watch.
Official Sources to Watch Worldcup Matches in India
For those of you living in India, Star Sports usually offers live coverage of popular matches taking place around the globe. The FIFA World Cup Qualifiers are expected to be delivered live on their Hotstar app and on the web version as well.
If you have a paid cable subscription, buying a sports pack that offers Star Sports multiple variants of channels should also help. However, the only catch is that I often don’t find it convenient to watch these matches live due to differences in timings.
However, it should be fun to have a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the qualifying matches live in India even though you might have to stay awake real late to sync with the European timings.
List of television companies that could stream football qualifier matches in India
· Eurosport
· FanCode
Hotstar VIP
· JioTV
· Sony LIV
· SONY TEN 2
· SONY TEN 2 HD
· Star Sports 2 Asia
· Star Sports 3 Asia
· Star Sports HD 2 Asia
· Star Sports Hindi 1
· Star Sports Hindi HD 1
· Star Sports Select 1
· Star Sports Select 2
· Star Sports Select HD1
· Star Sports Select HD2
· TV5MONDE Asie
Ways to Stream Fifa World Cup in USA on Your Phone, Laptop or TV
In a surprise turn of events, after the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Fifa will go all the way to USA where American football dominates the sports industry. A majority of the population love football but the soccer world cup will be a brand new addition to their repertoire.
Fifa World Cup 2026 has been officially confirmed to be hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico. The three teams in the west are partnering up for this grand event which will witness 48 nations competing for the cup. While these countries have their own version of football and soccer split with great cultural heritage, the world’s nations competing on their soil will be a first of its kind.
Official website to stream FIFA – www.fifa.com/worldcup
It should be your best bet to be able to watch the live streaming of the matches as and when they happen. Majority of these events will send out notifications before they go live.
Sign up for notifications on your e-mail and possibly your smartphone so that you won’t miss an important match as it happens.
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/FIFATV
The official soccer federation will host completed games as well as match highlights from the qualifiers round on Youtube, making it the only place you need to be to watch it. Some live matches will also be hosted.
The US televisions that have acquired the license to telecast the upcoming soccer world cup qualifiers and following matches are listed below.
· beIN Sport 1
· beIN Sport ñ
· ESPN 3
· ESPN Deportes
· Fox Sports 1
· Fox Sports 2
· Fox Deportes
· Fox Soccer 2 Go
NBC Sports Network
· Univision
· Univision Deportes
· Gol TV
To watch on your phone, make sure to download the official app for ESPN, Fox Sports or any channel that is live streaming the content.
Based on your cable subscription, you should be able to live stream FIFA World Cup 2022 in the USA on your phone as well as watch it on your laptop or TV, based on your convenience.
How to watch the World Cup on your iOS or Android devices?
Watching the World Cup on a smartphone, be it an iOS or Android device, is easy. All you need is the respective app and usually, they are made available for free. However, some networks do require an active subscription to watch the content.
In India, Hotstar offers a free live relay of football matches that can be streamed on Android phones. It works seamlessly on iOS devices too.
Service providers offering streaming solutions on your smartphone
· Disney+ Hotstar (India) – Whenever I am in India, I would prefer to use the Hotstar app to stream any sports events. It works flawlessly on both iOS and Android operating systems
· Star Sports app (USA) – You can easily do a quick search on the iOS app store if you like to watch it on your iPad or iPhone. A similar search on the Play Store will reap the desired results as well
· ESPN app (USA) – If the particular game is being streamed live on TV on ESPN, download the app on your respective operating system and watch it
Live Streaming on Websites vs App – Choose your pick
Most sports lovers enjoy watching soccer matches on their large-screen televisions in the living room. I love it because of the amazing clarity, the colors and simply resting on the couch for 90 minutes and enjoying a fantastic match feels like heaven.
However, if you are stuck in the office, commute or need to catch it on the go, watching it on a laptop or smartphone should be the best option. Besides, it is easier to stream content using a cellular network when the cable is not readily available.
For people who are stuck on a business tour or at some random places, the websites and apps are far more preferable rather than trying to watch it on television. Some users use VPN services to access live matches.
How to watch the World Cup on your laptop?
· For viewers in the USA,
Head to these web links for quick updates on current matches that you could catch on the laptop.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/league/_/name/fifa.world
s://www.livesoccertv.com/channels/fox-sports-1-usa/
https://www.livesoccertv.com/channels/nbc-sports/
· For viewers in India,
Head to https://www.hotstar.com/in/sports/football
FAQs
Can I watch the FIFA World Cup 2022 for free?
It depends.
Based on whether you are in the USA, UK or India, some matches may be streamed live on their respective apps while others are paid, available only with cable service providers
Does streaming websites support HD relay?
Yes. Most streaming websites in all major countries have upgraded themselves to deliver high definition relay. You can watch them on your laptop, Android TV or on a smartphone app based on your convenience
Should I use a VPN?
Some seasoned users are capable of using a VPN service to bypass country restrictions and watch matches live as and when they happen. Free VPN services may not be fully reliable but if you have a paid connection, you could give it a try only if truly needed
Which team will win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar?
A great question, indeed! All of us would want to know and I can personally vouch for my favorite teams but at the end of the day, it’s a sport. Only time will tell.
What if I miss a particular qualifier or future matches?
You can still watch completed world cup soccer matches on the Hotstar app in India, ESPN or Star sports app in the USA. Just make sure you don’t spoil the ending by reading the news so that they are fun to watch
How much should I pay to watch football matches?
It varies from one service provider to another. Based on your location, if Star Sports or a particular channel has the most matches signed up for them, you should buy subscription service.
The streaming apps are usually easier to access and cost less compared to paying for bundled packages to your cable service provider.