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:
- ๐ฆ๐ซ Afghanistan - ATN
- ๐ฆ๐ฑ Albania - TV Klan
- ๐ฉ๐ฟ Algeria - beIN SPORTS Connect
- ๐ฆ๐ฉ Andorra - TVE La 1, M6, beIN Sports 1, M6+
- ๐ฆ๐ท Argentina - Telefe Argentina, DIRECTV Sports Argentina, DGO, mitelefe, Paramount+
- ๐ฆ๐บ Australia - SBS, SBS On Demand
- ๐ฆ๐น Austria - ORF eins, ORF ON
- ๐ง๐ช Belgium - La Une, Proximus Pickx, RTBF Auvio Direct, Sporza
- ๐ง๐ด Bolivia - Red Uno, Unitel, Tigo Sports Bolivia, Disney+ Premium Chile, Entel TV
- ๐ง๐ฆ Bosnia and Herzegovina - Arena Sport
- ๐ง๐ท Brazil - SporTV, Globo, Globoplay, SBT, Zapping, N Sports, Claro TV+, Sky+, CazรฉTV, Vivo Play
- ๐ง๐ฌ Bulgaria - BNT
- ๐จ๐ฆ Canada - TSN+, TSN1, CTV, RDS App, CTV App, Crave
- ๐จ๐ฑ Chile - Chilevision, DIRECTV Sports Chile, DGO, Disney+ Premium Chile, Paramount+
- ๐จ๐ด Colombia - Caracol TV, RCN Television, DIRECTV Sports Colombia, DGO, Deportes RCN En Vivo, Caracol Play, ditu, Radio Nacional de Colombia, Paramount+
- ๐จ๐ท Costa Rica - Teletica Canal 7, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, TDMAX, FOX
- ๐ญ๐ท Croatia - HRTi
- ๐จ๐พ Cyprus - Sigma TV
- ๐จ๐ฟ Czechia - ฤT Sport, OnePlay
- ๐ฉ๐ฐ Denmark - TV2 Denmark, TV2 Play Denmark
- ๐ช๐จ Ecuador - DIRECTV Sports Ecuador, DGO, Teleamazonas, Paramount+
- ๐ธ๐ป El Salvador - Canal 4 El Salvador, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, Tigo Sports El Salvador, FOX
- ๐ช๐ช Estonia - Go3 Extra Sports Estonia
- ๐ซ๐ฏ Fiji - FBC Sports
- ๐ซ๐ฎ Finland - MTV3, MTV Urheilu 1, MTV Katsomo
- ๐ซ๐ท France - M6, beIN Sports 1, M6+, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, Molotov, Free, 6play, myCANAL
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany - ZDF, MagentaTV
- ๐ฌ๐น Guatemala - TeleOnce Guatemala, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, Chapin TV, Tigo Sports Guatemala, FOX
- ๐ญ๐ณ Honduras - Azteca Deportes En Vivo, Tigo Sports Honduras, FOX
- ๐ญ๐ฐ Hong Kong - ViuTV, 616 Now Sports 4K, 618 Now Sports
- ๐ฎ๐ฉ Indonesia - TVRI, Vidio, TVRI Sport
- ๐ฎ๐ท Iran - beIN SPORTS Connect
- ๐ฎ๐ช Ireland - RTร
- ๐ฎ๐น Italy - DAZN Italia, RAI 1, RaiPlay
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan - DAZN Japan, NHK, Nippon TV, Fuji TV
- ๐ฝ๐ฐ Kosovo - RTK1, ArtMotion, TV Vala Kosovo Telecom
- ๐ฒ๐ด Macau - ViuTV
- ๐ฒ๐บ Mauritius - New World Sport App
- ๐ฒ๐ฝ Mexico - Canal 5 Televisa, Azteca 7, TUDN En Vivo, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, ViX Mexico
- ๐ Middle East and North Africa - beIN SPORTS CONNECT
- ๐ณ๐ต Nepal - Himalaya TV, DGO, Himalaya Sports TV
- ๐ณ๐ฑ Netherlands - NPO 1, Ziggo Go, Canal+ Netherlands
- ๐ณ๐ฟ New Zealand - TVNZ 1, TVNZ+
- ๐ณ๐ฎ Nicaragua - Azteca Deportes En Vivo, Tigo Sports Nicaragua, FOX
- ๐ณ๐ด Norway - TV 2 Direkte, TV 2 Play
- ๐ต๐ฆ Panama - RPC, TVN Panama, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, TVMax, Medcom GO, Tigo Sports Panama, FOX
- ๐ต๐ช Peru - DIRECTV Sports Peru, DGO, Disney+ Premium Chile, Paramount+
- ๐ต๐น Portugal - Sport TV
- ๐ท๐ด Romania - Antena 1, Antena Play
- ๐ธ๐ฒ San Marino - DAZN Italia, RAI 1, RaiPlay
- ๐ธ๐ฌ 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.
