On Tuesday, June 16, 2026, Iraq and Norway will face off at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in the opening group stage fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kick-off is set for 6:00 PM local time - 11:00 PM BST - and whether you are in Baghdad, Oslo, or somewhere far removed from either country, there are reliable ways to watch every minute of the live broadcast.
Where to Watch: Iraq and Norway
Iraqi viewers have a single, dedicated destination. beIN SPORTS holds exclusive media rights across the Middle East and North Africa region and will carry the full event across its beIN SPORTS MAX channels, with live streaming available through the beIN CONNECT app. Coverage will be available in multiple languages, reflecting the broadcaster's regional mandate.
Norwegian viewers enjoy broader, more accessible options. Broadcasting rights are shared between the state public broadcaster NRK and commercial network TV 2. Both offer free-to-air television coverage, and viewers can also stream live at no additional cost via NRK TV online or through TV 2 Play.
How to Access Your Preferred Broadcast From Abroad
Streaming platforms enforce geographic restrictions, which means NRK TV will not load outside Norway, and beIN CONNECT may be inaccessible depending on your location. A Virtual Private Network - commonly called a VPN - resolves this by routing your internet connection through a server in the target country, making your device appear to be located there.
The process is straightforward:
- Sign up for a reputable VPN provider such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or Surfshark and install the app on your device.
- Connect to a server in the country where your preferred platform is based - Norway for NRK or TV 2, or a MENA-region server for beIN CONNECT.
- Log in to the streaming service and access the live broadcast directly.
A paid VPN from an established provider is strongly advisable over free alternatives. Free VPN services frequently monetize through data collection, impose bandwidth caps that make live video unreliable, or use encryption standards well below current best practice. For a live broadcast, connection stability matters as much as access.
Global Broadcast Coverage at a Glance
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is among the most broadly distributed live events in broadcasting history, with rights sold across virtually every continent. The table below lists confirmed broadcasters 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
- 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
A Note on VPNs, Streaming Rights, and Responsible Use
Using a VPN to access geo-restricted content occupies a legal grey area in many jurisdictions. VPNs themselves are legal in most countries - they are widely used for corporate remote access, privacy protection, and circumventing censorship. However, individual streaming platforms prohibit the practice in their terms of service, and some countries impose restrictions on VPN use entirely. Checking both local law and a platform's terms before connecting is the responsible step.
Beyond access, a VPN encrypts the connection between your device and the VPN server, which adds a layer of protection on public or shared Wi-Fi networks. For anyone watching from a hotel, airport, or shared broadband connection, that protection has value independent of any geo-restriction use case. The key is selecting a provider with a credible no-logs policy and jurisdiction outside high-surveillance regulatory environments - details that reputable providers publish openly and that independent audits increasingly verify.