New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) India may not have the national team taking part in the mega event, but the craze for the biggest ever FIFA World Cup 2026 is high among the fans who are willing to witness their favourite footballers performing on the global stage.

All those interested can watch matches which will be broadcast on Zee Network, and also some matches on DD Sports.

The opening match between Mexico and South Africa will be broadcast from 00:30 IST on June 12, while other matches will be played at 01:30 am, 02:30, and 06:30 IST. The quarterfinals will be shown between July 10 and 12, while the semifinals will be telecast on July 15 and 16, with the final slated for July 20 -- all three matches starting at 00:30 IST.

Football's biggest showpiece event, the FIFA World Cup 2026, is set to commence on June 12 (IST) with fans across the world set to witness 48 teams fight it out for the trophy for the first time in the history of the game.

The multinational tournament will be hosted jointly by Mexico, Canada, and the United States of America and will feature a total of 104 matches in an expanded tournament.

The expanded format introduces 12 groups of four teams each, replacing the previous structure of eight groups. The top two teams from every group, along with the eight best third-placed sides, will advance to the knockout stage, creating a new Round of 32 before the traditional Round of 16.

For the viewers from India, there was a deadlock regarding the broadcast of the tournament in the country. However, that deadlock is over now, and the Indian audience can also watch the fixtures.

Where to Watch FIFA World Cup 2026 on TV in India?

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be shown on the newly launched Unite8 Sports network on television. Four channels - Unite8 Sports 1 (Hindi commentary), Unite8 Sports 1 HD (Hindi commentary), Unite8 Sports 2 (English commentary), and Unite8 Sports 2 HD (English commentary) will broadcast matches.

DD Sports has announced that it will show select matches for free. It will broadcast the opener between Mexico and South Africa for free. Apart from that, the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final will be available on DD Free Dish.

Where to watch the live streaming of all the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in India?

Fans can watch the live streaming of the FIFA World Cup on mobile, laptop, or smart TV on the Zee5 app.

The Groups

Group A: Mexico, South Africa, Republic of Korea and Czechia

Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti

Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey

Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curaçao

Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia

Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand

Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde

Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq

Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan

Group K: Portugal, Colombia, DR Congo, Uzbekistan

Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama

--IANS

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