The Netherlands face Japan in their opening 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage fixture at AT&T Stadium, and whether you are watching from Amsterdam, Tokyo, or anywhere else on the planet, access to live coverage is more widely distributed than ever - across free-to-air television, streaming platforms, and premium digital services spanning dozens of countries. Knowing where to look, and how to reach the right broadcast, is the first practical challenge for any viewer abroad.
Where to Watch: Official Broadcasters by Country
In the Netherlands, NPO 1 carries live free-to-air coverage, with streaming available via Ziggo Go and Canal+ Netherlands. Dutch viewers can also access the broadcast through the NPO Start app and NOS.nl. In Japan, the Japan Consortium distributes rights across public and commercial television, including NHK on its terrestrial, NHK+, and BS Premium 4K channels, alongside Nippon TV and Fuji TV. Premium digital access is available on DAZN Japan.
Across the rest of the world, rights are held by a broad range of broadcasters. Below is a full reference of confirmed rights holders by country and region:
- 🇦🇫 Afghanistan - ATN
- 🇦🇱 Albania - TV Klan
- 🇩🇿 Algeria - beIN SPORTS Connect
- 🇦🇩 Andorra - TVE La 1, M6, beIN Sports 1, M6+
- 🇦🇷 Argentina - Telefe Argentina, DIRECTV Sports Argentina, DGO, mitelefe, Paramount+
- 🇦🇺 Australia - SBS, SBS On Demand
- 🇦🇹 Austria - ORF eins, ORF ON
- 🇧🇪 Belgium - La Une, Proximus Pickx, RTBF Auvio Direct, Sporza
- 🇧🇴 Bolivia - Red Uno, Unitel, Tigo Sports Bolivia, Disney+ Premium Chile, Entel TV
- 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina - Arena Sport
- 🇧🇷 Brazil - SporTV, Globo, Globoplay, SBT, Zapping, N Sports, Claro TV+, Sky+, CazéTV, Vivo Play
- 🇧🇬 Bulgaria - BNT
- 🇨🇦 Canada - TSN+, TSN1, CTV, RDS App, CTV App, Crave
- 🇨🇱 Chile - Chilevision, DIRECTV Sports Chile, DGO, Disney+ Premium Chile, Paramount+
- 🇨🇴 Colombia - Caracol TV, RCN Television, DIRECTV Sports Colombia, DGO, Deportes RCN En Vivo, Caracol Play, ditu, Radio Nacional de Colombia, Paramount+
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica - Teletica Canal 7, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, TDMAX, FOX
- ðŸ‡ðŸ‡· Croatia - HRTi
- 🇨🇾 Cyprus - Sigma TV
- 🇨🇿 Czechia - ČT Sport, OnePlay
- 🇩🇰 Denmark - TV2 Denmark, TV2 Play Denmark
- 🇪🇨 Ecuador - DIRECTV Sports Ecuador, DGO, Teleamazonas, Paramount+
- 🇸🇻 El Salvador - Canal 4 El Salvador, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, Tigo Sports El Salvador, FOX
- 🇪🇪 Estonia - Go3 Extra Sports Estonia
- 🇫🇯 Fiji - FBC Sports
- 🇫🇮 Finland - MTV3, MTV Urheilu 1, MTV Katsomo
- 🇫🇷 France - M6, beIN Sports 1, M6+, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, Molotov, Free, 6play, myCANAL
- 🇩🇪 Germany - ZDF, MagentaTV
- 🇬🇹 Guatemala - TeleOnce Guatemala, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, Chapin TV, Tigo Sports Guatemala, FOX
- ðŸ‡ðŸ‡³ Honduras - Azteca Deportes En Vivo, Tigo Sports Honduras, FOX
- ðŸ‡ðŸ‡° Hong Kong - ViuTV, 616 Now Sports 4K, 618 Now Sports
- 🇮🇩 Indonesia - TVRI, Vidio, TVRI Sport
- 🇮🇷 Iran - beIN SPORTS Connect
- 🇮🇪 Ireland - RTÉ
- 🇮🇹 Italy - DAZN Italia, RAI 1, RaiPlay
- 🇯🇵 Japan - DAZN Japan, NHK, Nippon TV, Fuji TV
- 🇽🇰 Kosovo - RTK1, ArtMotion, TV Vala Kosovo Telecom
- 🇲🇴 Macau - ViuTV
- 🇲🇺 Mauritius - New World Sport App
- 🇲🇽 Mexico - Canal 5 Televisa, Azteca 7, TUDN En Vivo, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, ViX Mexico
- 🌎 Middle East and North Africa - beIN SPORTS CONNECT
- 🇳🇵 Nepal - Himalaya TV, DGO, Himalaya Sports TV
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands - NPO 1, Ziggo Go, Canal+ Netherlands
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand - TVNZ 1, TVNZ+
- 🇳🇮 Nicaragua - Azteca Deportes En Vivo, Tigo Sports Nicaragua, FOX
- 🇳🇴 Norway - TV 2 Direkte, TV 2 Play
- 🇵🇦 Panama - RPC, TVN Panama, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, TVMax, Medcom GO, Tigo Sports Panama, FOX
- 🇵🇪 Peru - DIRECTV Sports Peru, DGO, Disney+ Premium Chile, Paramount+
- 🇵🇹 Portugal - Sport TV
- 🇷🇴 Romania - Antena 1, Antena Play
- 🇸🇲 San Marino - DAZN Italia, RAI 1, RaiPlay
- 🇸🇬 Singapore - Singtel TV GO, meWATCH
How a VPN Lets You Access Coverage From Outside Your Home Country
Streaming platforms enforce geographic access restrictions by reading the IP address of the device attempting to connect. If that address falls outside the licensed territory, access is blocked - regardless of whether you hold a valid subscription. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) routes your connection through a server located in the country of your choosing, masking your actual location and presenting the destination platform with a local IP address instead.
The mechanism is technically straightforward: the VPN client on your device creates an encrypted tunnel to a remote server, and all outbound traffic appears to originate from that server's location. For viewers traveling abroad or living as expatriates, this approach restores access to platforms they would otherwise be entitled to use. Well-established providers such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Surfshark maintain large server networks across the relevant countries and are widely used for exactly this purpose.
Setup requires three steps: sign up for a provider and install its application on your device; connect to a server in the country where your preferred broadcaster is licensed; then log in to that platform and begin streaming as normal. The entire process typically takes only a few minutes.
Understanding Geo-Restrictions and What They Mean for Viewers
Broadcast rights are sold on a territory-by-territory basis, which is why the same event can be free-to-air in one country and locked behind a premium paywall in another. This fragmentation is a direct consequence of how rights packages are structured commercially - federations and rights holders maximize revenue by negotiating separately with broadcasters in each market. For viewers, the practical effect is that their access to live coverage depends entirely on where they happen to be located when they try to connect.
Using a VPN to access a service you are already subscribed to - or one that is freely available in your home country - is a broadly accepted practice among viewers traveling internationally. The legal and terms-of-service picture varies by platform and jurisdiction, so it is worth reviewing the conditions of the specific service you intend to use. That said, for most casual viewers accessing a free public broadcaster from abroad, the practice raises few practical concerns.
