Spain and Portugal may have world champion-calibre teams and individuals, but the decidedly stingey World Cup 2026 coverage in the Iberian Peninsula has left much to be desired.
Only 33 games are free-to-air in Spain, courtesy of RTVE, with comprehensive tournament coverage instead locked behind a paywall. DAZN is showing all 104 fixtures — 71 of those on an exclusive basis.
The gruel is even thinner in Portugal, where Sport TV has wall-to-wall coverage, and exclusivity over a massive 84 matches, leaving free-to-air broadcasters SIC and TVI and RTP struggling to stretch out their meagre 20-game allowance — seven on SIC, seven on TVI and six on RTP.
Compare that with the UK, where all 104 games are free-to-air. Of course, anybody who's ever tried to access British TV on holiday knows that one does not simply access BBC iPlayer from abroad without a good VPN
Read on as FourFourTwo explains how to watch the BBC's free World Cup coverage from Spain and Portugal.
Watch World Cup 2026 on the BBC
Every World Cup 2026 game is free-to-air in the UK, courtesy of either the BBC or ITV.
The games shown on the BBC are also available to live stream on BBC iPlayer. Similarly, those on ITV can be streamed live on ITVX.
‼️ Outside the UK? Use Norton VPN to unlock your stream from anywhere in the world — more on that below.
Watch the BBC's free World Cup coverage from Spain and Portugal
Even if you live in the UK, you won't be able to watch the BBC's free World Cup coverage if you leave the country for a holiday or a work trip, to Portugal or Spain, for instance.
However, a VPN will let you stream BBC iPlayer from anywhere. It's a handy piece of software that makes your devices appear to be in a different location.
This World Cup, our office friends at TechRadar are recommending Norton VPN:
Free World Cup coverage in Spain
In Spain, free-to-air RTVE is showing one game on each World Cup matchday, including every Spain fixture and the final, with live streaming available via RTVE Play.
In total, 33 games will be available to watch on RTVE, and commentary is available in Spanish and Catalan.
Brit abroad? Use our cheap VPN deal (try risk-free for 60 days) to watch your usual BBC and ITV World Cup streams when on holiday.
Free World Cup coverage in Portugal
In Portugal, free-to-air SIC, TVI and RTP are showing 20 games between them.
SIC's allowance includes the first Round of 16 game, one quarter-final tie and the first semi-final; TVI's includes a quarter-final and a semi-final; RTP's includes Portugal's Round of 16 tie against Spain, and the World Cup final.
Visiting Spain or Portugal? Use our cheap VPN deal to watch your usual free World Cup streams on BBC or ITV when on holiday.
Spanish free-to-air World Cup coverage
Spanish-language free-to-air World Cup coverage is also available in Mexico from TV Azteca, in Argentina from Television Publica, and in Colombia from Caracol and Canal RCN.
Visiting Spain or Portugal? Use our cheap VPN deal to watch your usual free BBC World Cup streams when on holiday.
Portuguese free-to-air World Cup coverage
Portuguese-language free-to-air World Cup coverage is also available in Brazil courtesy of CazéTV, which is showing all 104 games on its YouTube channel.
Abroad? Use our cheap VPN deal to watch your usual free World Cup streams from anywhere, including Spain and Portugal.
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