2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: How to Watch, Livestream Games This Morning

Team USA made it into the Round of 16 this morning after a tense 0-0 draw against Portugal. Sophia Smith and the rest of the squad looked disjointed and out of sync for the entirety of the match. Portugal came close to ending Team USA’s World Cup with a shot in stoppage time that looked like it beat USA keeper Alyssa Naeher. Instead, it rang off the far post and bounced harmlessly away. Nevertheless, the draw clinched the runner-up spot in Group E and advanced the team to the knockout stage. Team USA will now face the winner of Group G on Sunday at 5 a.m. ET (2 a.m. PT) on Fox. 

The Group G winner will be decided in two games this morning. Sweden can take the crown with a win in its game vs. Argentina, while Italy can advance as the runner-up with a win over South Africa. Both games take place at 3 a.m. ET (12 a.m. PT). Sweden vs. Argentina will air on Fox, while Italy vs. South Africa will be on FS1.

Australia and New Zealand are co-hosting the tournament this year, which makes viewing games in the US a little tricky. The games mentioned above are the first games on Tuesday in Australia and New Zealand. Later in the day — or Wednesday morning on this side of the Pacific — are two crucial Group F matchups: Panama vs. France at 6 a.m. ET (3 a.m. PT) on Fox, and Jamaica vs. Brazil, also at 6 a.m. ET, on FS1. 

What channels do I need to watch the World Cup live?

Fox holds the English-language rights to World Cup games in the US, while NBC-owned Telemundo offers all the games in Spanish. Games in English will air on Fox and FS1, while games in Spanish will be on Telemundo and NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming platform.

What’s the schedule for the World Cup?

This year, the tournament has expanded from 24 to 32 teams, which have been drawn into eight groups of four teams. Group winners and runners-up move on to the Round of 16 knockout phase, which begins Aug. 5. The quarterfinals begin Aug. 10, with the semifinals starting Aug. 15. The losers of the semifinal games will play in a single game for third place on Aug. 19. The World Cup final will conclude the tournament on Sunday, Aug. 20. 

Here’s the schedule for the rest of group play (all times ET): 

Wednesday, Aug. 2

Group G: Argentina vs. Sweden (3 a.m. on Fox)Group G: South Africa vs. Italy (3 a.m. on FS1)Group F: Panama vs. France (6 a.m. on Fox)Group F: Jamaica vs. Brazil (6 a.m. on FS1)

Thursday, Aug. 3

Group H: South Korea vs. Germany (6 a.m. on Fox)Group H: Morocco vs. Colombia (6 a.m. on FS1)

Click here for the full World Cup schedule.

When does Team USA play?

Team USA is in Group E, along with Vietnam, Portugal and the Netherlands. Each team played one game against every member of the group. The team with the most points at the end of group play, along with the runner-up, moved on to the Round of 16. Team USA finished group play with one win and two draws, giving them the runner up spot in Group E. They will now play the winner of Group G in the Round of 16. Here’s Team USA’s schedule: 

Friday, July 21: USA 3-0 VietnamWednesday, July 26: USA 1-1 Netherlands Tuesday, Aug. 1: USA 0 – 0 PortugalSunday, Aug. 6: Group G Winner vs. Team USA, 5 a.m. ET (2 a.m. PT) on Fox

Can I watch live World Cup matches for free in the USA?

Not really. Many of the live TV streaming services, listed below, allow free trials that would allow you to watch games for free before having to pay for a subscription. 

Peacock Premium is the cheapest way to stream all the games live, though the broadcasts are in Spanish as part of NBC’s Spanish-language coverage.

However, you will be able to watch full-length replays of the games in English minutes after they end on the free ad-supported streaming channel Tubi TV. You’ll have to sign up for an account on the service to get the games, but you won’t need a credit card or subscription. 

How to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the tournament locally, you may need a different way to watch matches — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Australia, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup for free in the UK

Viewers in the US might not be able to watch the Women’s World Cup for free, but those in the UK can. Football fans in the UK are among the luckiest in the world, as all matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup are being shown live on free-to-air channels, with the BBC and ITV sharing broadcast duties. This means all games will be available to stream for free on either BBC iPlayer or ITVX. 

BBC iPlayer has dedicated apps available for Android and Apple mobile devices, as well as a vast array of smart TVs and streaming boxes. All you need is a valid UK TV license to stream the tournament.

Like BBC iPlayer, ITV’s streaming online streaming service is free to viewers in the UK, with dedicated apps available for Apple and Android devices, as well as most smart TVs.

Stream the Women’s World Cup for free in Australia

The great news for soccer fans Down Under is that you can watch all of the 2023 Women’s World Cup for free on Channel 7 in Australia.

That also means that games will also be livestreamed for free on the network’s 7 Plus streaming service, which works across a wide range of devices, including smart TVs, laptops, games consoles, mobile phones, tablets and streaming sticks.

Stream the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand for free

Live coverage for the co-host nation is with free-to-air channel Prime.

You can watch every game of the tournament for free in New Zealand on terrestrial channel Prime.

That also means you’ll be able to livestream games via the channel’s website — you just need to provide your name, post code and email address.

Quick tips for streaming the 2023 Women’s World Cup using a VPN

With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming the Women’s World Cup action live may vary.If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location. And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.

How can I stream live World Cup games in the US without cable?

A few of the major live TV streaming services carry all of the channels you need to watch every game of the World Cup, but not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries Fox in your area. 

Unlike cable, live TV streaming services allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live-TV streaming services guide.