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.

• 🇦🇫 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
• 🇭🇷 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
• 🇭🇳 Honduras - Azteca Deportes En Vivo, Tigo Sports Honduras, FOX
• 🇭🇰 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
• 🇽🇰 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

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.