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Cosmin Olaroiu wasn't quite able to lead the Sons of Zayed to what would have been their second ever World Cup appearance, but fans in the United Arab Emirates can still catch all of the action. Missing out may even make the experience a whole lot more enjoyable.
After all, it was Iraq that eliminated the UAE en route to the inter-confederation playoffs, in which they beat Bolivia to secure a spot at the finals. Their reward? A berth in a fearsome Group I alongside Kylian Mbappe's France, Erling Haaland's Norway and Sadio Mane's Senegal, who won AFCON 2026 before being scandalously stripped of the title two months after the fact.
Despite the UAE's absence, there's be a sizeable honorary Emirati presence at the tournament, with South Korea's Cho Yu-min, Egypt's Mohamed Elneny and DR Congo's Simon Banza set to be among the UAE Pro League contingent out to make their mark in Mexico, Canada and the US.
The UAE, unfortunately, is one of few countries in which the World Cup isn't free-to-air, but viewers who are spending time in the Emirates from elsewhere, such as the UK, Australia and Ireland, can use a VPN to tune in for free.
Read on as we explain how to watch World Cup 2026 in the UAE.
Can I stream World Cup 2026 for free in the UAE?
While not in the UAE, the 2026 World Cup will be streamed live and for free in many countries around the world, with the best English-language coverage available in the UK, Australia and Ireland.
- 🇬🇧 UK: BBC/ITV (English commentary)
- 🇦🇺 Australia: SBS On Demand (English commentary)
- 🇧🇷 Brazil: CazéTV's YouTube (no account required)
- 🇧🇪 Belgium: RTBF/VRT
- 🇮🇪 Ireland: RTE Player (English commentary)
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands: NOS
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland: SRF Play / RTS Play / RSI Play
- 🇹🇷 Turkey: TRT
If you're going to be traveling in the UAE from the UK, Australia or Ireland during the tournament, you can use a VPN to watch all the action free of charge as if you were right at home. Norton VPN is our top pick of the options.
Use a VPN to watch any World Cup 2026 stream
If you’re travelling, you might discover your usual World Cup stream is suddenly unavailable due to geo-restrictions.
Don’t worry, that’s exactly where a VPN can help. A virtual private network lets you connect to servers around the world so you can securely access your usual World Cup coverage as if you were back home.
We recommend Norton VPN. Here’s why:
How to watch World Cup 2026 live streams in the UAE
In the UAE, World Cup 2026 is being shown on beIN Sports.
There are several different plans to choose from, each covering different beIN Sports channels. The Basic tier is free but only carries two beIN Sports channels; Together costs $8/month and carries five beIN Sports channels; Premium costs $30/month and carries 24 beIN Sports channels.
Visiting the UAE from a country where coverage is free? Use Norton VPN to tap into your free World Cup 2026 coverage.
What is the World Cup 2026 schedule?
(All times GST)
GROUP STAGE
Thursday, June 11
11pm – Mexico vs South Africa
Friday, June 12
6am – South Korea vs Czech Republic
11pm – Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Saturday, June 13
5am – USA vs Paraguay
11pm – Qatar vs Switzerland
Sunday, June 14
2am – Brazil vs Morocco
5am – Haiti vs Scotland
8am – Australia vs Turkey
9pm – Germany vs Curacao
Monday, June 15
12am – Netherlands vs Japan
3am – Ivory Coast vs Ecuador
6am – Sweden vs Tunisia
8pm – Spain vs Cape Verde
11pm – Belgium vs Egypt
Tuesday, June 16
2am – Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay
5am – Iran vs New Zealand
11pm – France vs Senegal
Wednesday, June 17
2am – Iraq vs Norway
5am – Argentina vs Algeria
8am – Austria vs Jordan
9pm – Portugal vs DR Congo
Thursday, June 18
12am – England vs Croatia
3am – Ghana vs Panama
6am – Uzbekistan vs Colombia
8pm – Czech Republic vs South Africa
11pm – Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina
Friday, June 19
2am – Canada vs Qatar
5am – Mexico vs South Korea
11pm – USA vs Australia
Saturday, June 20
2am – Scotland vs Morocco
5am – Brazil vs Haiti
8am – Turkey vs Paraguay
9pm – Netherlands vs Sweden
Sunday, June 21
12am – Germany vs Ivory Coast
4am – Ecuador vs Curacao
8am – Tunisia vs Japan
8pm – Spain vs Saudi Arabia
11pm – Belgium vs Iran
Monday, June 22
2am – Uruguay vs Cape Verde
5am – New Zealand vs Egypt
9pm – Argentina vs Austria
Tuesday, June 23
1am – France vs Iraq
4am – Norway vs Senegal
7am – Jordan vs Algeria
9pm – Portugal vs Uzbekistan
Wednesday, June 24
12am – England vs Ghana
3am – Panama vs Croatia
6am – Colombia vs DR Congo
11pm – Switzerland vs Canada
11pm – Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Qatar
Thursday, June 25
2am – Morocco vs Haiti
2am – Scotland vs Brazil
5am – South Africa vs South Korea
5am – Czech Republic vs Mexico
Friday, June 26
12am – Curacao vs Ivory Coast
12am – Ecuador vs Germany
3am – Tunisia vs Netherlands
3am – Japan vs Sweden
6am – Turkey vs USA
6am – Paraguay vs Australia
11pm – Norway vs France
11pm – Senegal vs Iraq
Saturday, June 27
4am – Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia
4am – Uruguay vs Spain
7am – New Zealand vs Belgium
7am – Egypt vs Iran
Sunday, June 28
1am – Panama vs England
1am – Croatia vs Ghana
3.30am – Colombia vs Portugal
3.30am – DR Congo vs Uzbekistan
6am – Algeria vs Austria
6am – Jordan vs Argentina
KNOCKOUT STAGE
ROUND OF 32
Sunday, June 28
11pm – A2 vs B2
Monday, June 29
9pm – C1 vs F2
Tuesday, June 30
12.30am – E1 vs A/B/C/D/F3
5am – F1 vs C2
9pm – E2 vs I2
Wednesday, July 1
1am – I1 vs C/D/F/G/H3
5am – A1 vs C/E/F/H/I3
8pm – L1 vs E/H/I/J/K3
Thursday, July 2
12am – G1 vs A/E/H/I/J3
4am – D1 vs B/E/F/I/J3
11pm – H1 vs J2
Friday, July 3
3am – K2 vs L2
7am – B1 vs E/F/G/I/J3
10pm – D2 vs G2
Saturday, July 4
2am – J1 vs H2
5.30am – K1 vs D/E/I/J/L3
ROUND OF 16
Saturday, July 4
9pm – Round of 16 game 1
Sunday, July 5
1am – Round of 16 game 2
Monday, July 6
12am – Round of 16 game 3
4am – Round of 16 game 4
11pm – Round of 16 game 5
Tuesday, July 7
4am – Round of 16 game 6
8pm – Round of 16 game 7
Wednesday, July 8
12am – Round of 16 game 8
QUARTER-FINALS
Friday, July 10
12am – Quarter-final 1
11pm – Quarter-final 2
Sunday, July 12
1am – Quarter-final 3
5am – Quarter-final 4
SEMI-FINALS
Tuesday, July 14
11pm – Semi-final 1
Wednesday, July 15
11pm – Semi-final 2
FINALS
Sunday, July 19
1am – Third-place playoff
11pm – 2026 FIFA World Cup final
What are the World Cup 2026 groups?
Group A
Mexico
South Africa
South Korea
Czechia
Group B
Canada
Qatar
Switzerland
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Group C
Brazil
Morocco
Haiti
Scotland
Group D
USA
Paraguay
Australia
Turkey
Group E
Germany
Curacao
Ivory Coast
Ecuador
Group F
Netherlands
Japan
Tunisia
Sweden
Group G
Belgium
Egypt
Iran
New Zealand
Group H
Spain
Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia
Uruguay
Group I
France
Senegal
Norway
Iraq
Group J
Argentina
Algeria
Austria
Jordan
Group K
Portugal
Uzbekistan
Colombia
DR Congo
Group L
England
Croatia
Ghana
Panama
Are any UAE Pro League players playing at World Cup 2026?
The World Cup 2026 squads are yet to be finalised at the time of writing, but Sharjah's Cho Yu-min, Khor Fakkan's Won Du-jae and Al-Ain's Park Yong-woo could represent South Korea, Al Ain's Soufiane Rahimi Morocco, Sharjah's Firas Ben Larbi Tunisia, Al Ain's Ramy Rabia and Al Jazira's Mohamed Elneny Egypt, Kalba's Saman Ghoddos and Shahriyar Moghanlou, Shabab Al-Ahli's Saeid Ezatolahi, Al-Wahda's Mohammad Ghorbani and Al-Nasr's Mehdi Ghayedi Iran, Al Bataeh's Diney Cape Verde, Al-Dhafra's Ibrahim Bayesh and Dibba's Mohanad Ali Iraq, Al Jazira's Simon Banza DR Congo, and Baniyas' Otabek Shukurov, Al Bataeh's Azizjon Ganiev and Dibba's Abdulla Abdullaev Uzbekistan this summer.
Martin Moran of UAE First Division League outfit Fursan Hispania is also in line to be selected by Panama.
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