The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is about to begin. The international tournament kicks off on Nov. 20 and runs through Dec. 18 and will feature 32 countries competing to be crowned the best in the world.
The host nation will face off against Ecuador in the tournament’s first match at 9 a.m. MST on Nov. 20. The United States will play in its first World Cup appearance since 2014 on the following day.
Here’s your World Cup watching guide:
How to watch
Fox Sports will broadcast the matches live across the Fox and FS1 channels. Games can also be viewed on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app.
Telemundo Deportes will also air the matches, and NBC’s Peacock will be the sole streaming home for the Spanish broadcasts, according to Forbes.
Additionally, the World Cup can be streamed on Tubi. The streaming service will offer full replays of every match for free. For fans that don’t want to watch the early morning matches live, Tubi’s full replays are probably the best option to watch.
When to watch
Qatar is 10 hours ahead of Utah, so games will be played at 3 a.m., 6 a.m., 9 a.m. and noon MST. Fortunately for fans of Team USA, all of the team’s group stage matches are scheduled for noon. Their schedule is as follows:
- Nov. 21: U.S. vs. Wales at noon MST.
- Nov. 25: U.S. vs. England at noon MST.
- Nov. 29: U.S. vs. Iran at noon MST.
Best World Cup group stage matches to watch
Brazil vs. Serbia: Nov. 24, noon MST
Brazil, FIFA’s no. 1 team in the world, hasn’t won a World Cup in 20 years but has won five of the 21 quadrennial tournaments, the most by any country, according to Fox Sports.
In its first group stage match, Brazil takes on Serbia, which beat the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal 2-1 in the final World Cup qualifying match last year.
“Brazil enters the World Cup on the heels of the most successful CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying campaign ever and has all the makings of a side that can end Europe’s 20-year World Cup reign. But first, its defense must show it can tame the likes of Dušan Vlahović, Dušan Tadić, Luka Jović, Aleksandar Mitrović, Sergej Milinković-Savić and the rest of a squad that impressively pipped Portugal to automatic qualification,” Sports Illustrated’s Avi Creditor wrote.
France vs. Denmark, Nov. 26, 9 a.m. MST
In the 2018 World Cup, France ended the group stage with a 0-0 draw against Denmark, but went on to defeat Croatia 4-2 in the final and win the World Cup. The team is currently ranked No. 4. Its second group stage match this year against No. 10 Denmark will be a rematch.
“The toughest matchup, on paper, for the defending champion comes against the Euro 2020 darling, which has the clout and organization to knock off Les Bleus, whom they held to a scoreless draw in the group stage four years ago,” Creditor wrote.
Argentina vs. Poland: Nov. 30, noon MST
In this match, two of the best players in the world will go head to head. Lionel Messi won the 2021 Ballon d’Or and Poland’s Robert Lewandowski went on to win the 2021 Best FIFA Men’s Player for the second consecutive year, beating out Messi, Bundesliga.com reported.
“This matchup actually features two reigning World Players of the Year, and for all the talk about Messi’s World Cup foibles, Lewandowski has plenty to prove as well after being shut out in 2018 as Poland crashed out in the group stage,” David Mosse, Fox Sports Soccer Researcher, wrote.
A full World Cup match schedule can be found on FoxSports.com.