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How to livestream the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals for free

Bypass geo-restrictions to watch BBC iPlayer and ITVX for free with a VPN.
 By 
Joseph Green
 on 
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FIFA World Cup logo
Credit: FIFA

SAVE 49%: ExpressVPN can unblock streaming sites from around the world to watch the World Cup for free. A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £83.43 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time.


The quarterfinals of the World Cup are fast approaching, with four absolutely massive matches promising joy, despair, and everything in between. If you're based in the UK, you should have no problem watching all four fixtures. If you're outside the UK, you might need to get creative.

When are the quarterfinals?

Friday, Dec. 9

  • Croatia vs Brazil — 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET (BBC One or BBC iPlayer)

  • Netherlands vs Argentina — 7 p.m. GMT / 2 p.m. ET (BBC One or BBC iPlayer)

Saturday, Dec. 10

  • Morocco vs Portugal — 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET (ITV 1 or ITVX)

  • England vs France — 7 p.m. GMT / 2 p.m. ET (ITV 1 or ITVX)

Can you stream the FIFA World Cup for free?

If you're based in the UK, you can stream every game from this year's World Cup for free on BBC iPlayer and ITVX. If you live outside the UK or you are travelling during the World Cup, you can still access these services with a VPN. Without one of these popular services, you'll be blocked due to your location.

To stream BBC iPlayer and ITVX from anywhere in the world, you simply need to sign up to your favourite VPN and download the app for your preferred operating system. You can then hide your real IP address and connect to a secure server in the UK. This quick and easy process tricks streaming sites into thinking you are based in the UK, meaning you can watch online for free.

You will need to pay something up front to subscribe to one of the best VPNs, but you can recover your investment after the World Cup using the money-back guarantees offered by pretty much every leading service. You can sign up to unblock streaming sites for the duration of the World Cup, and then recoup your investment once you've watched all the action. It's that easy.

What is the best VPN for unblocking BBC iPlayer and ITVX?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for streaming due to its strong connection speeds, powerful levels of encryption, apps for all operating systems, five multi-logins, and reliable unblocking of pretty much every streaming sites including BBC iPlayer and ITVX. It's not the cheapest service, but you get what you pay for with ExpressVPN.

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for £83.43 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This discounted plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Don't forget that you can sign up to watch the World Cup and then recover your cash using that generous money-back guarantee.

Watch the World Cup for free with the best deal on ExpressVPN.

Photo of Joseph Green
Joseph Green
Global Shopping Editor

Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.

Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.

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