Everything you need to know about where to watch the football World Cup

After breezing through Oceania qualifying with a 3-0 final win over New Caledonia, the All Whites face a massive step up in class. Their group is formidable, with a disciplined Iran, a star-powered Egypt, and the heavyweight group favourites, Belgium. We’re the underdogs, but with some strategic play, a bit of luck and the maths going our way, the team could squeeze into the next round.

Strategic play, luck and favourable maths are also how TVNZ won the screening rights to the tournament, outmanoeuvring Sky for sport’s biggest prize. By necessity, the victory has changed the game for the public broadcaster and it’s charging subscriptions for the first time.

“All of the All Whites games are free to air on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+,” a TVNZ spokesperson reassured the Listener. “We want the biggest audience possible to be able to get behind the All Whites and join them in that journey.”

No matter how far the team advances, at least 22 live games will screen for free on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+. The free coverage kicks off at 7am on Friday June 12 with the Mexico vs South Africa opener, features a handful of niche group stage matches (Ecuador vs Curaçao, anyone?), and wraps up with a quarterfinal, a semifinal and the July 20 final.

Perhaps the most critical number of this World Cup is $44.95. That’s the one-off cost of a TVNZ+ Event Pass, which unlocks live, on-demand and highlights access to every match. With no à la carte game options or team-specific packages, the pricing model is purposely straightforward.

Says TVNZ: “People have never had to pay for anything from us before, so we’re keeping it really simple. We think the price is really reasonable and fair for what you get.”

Event Pass is tied to your TVNZ+ account and allows for two concurrent streams, meaning you can sneak into the office lunchroom to catch a 10am kickoff while someone at home logged into the account watches simultaneously. Crucially, TVNZ claims its platform is “technically ready and operationally prepared”, following an upgrade that temporarily made the TVNZ+ app problematic for thousands of viewers. Footy fans shouldn’t suffer dropouts or buffering glitches during critical moments of the tournament.

The time zone looks good on paper, with most matches getting under way during a 7am-to-midday window. However, the All Whites’ schedule is tough for fans at work or school. Their first two matches – against Iran on Tuesday, June 16 , and Egypt on Monday, June 22 – both kick off at 1pm. There is a possibility that the Iran-NZ game may shift from Los Angeles to Mexico or Canada, the Iranian team having already changed their training camp location from the US to Tijuana, Mexico.

The All Whites’ final group stage clash against Belgium is the easiest to catch, with the team running on to the pitch at 3pm on Saturday, June 27, but the game itself promises to be the most difficult.

Presenter Chris Chang fronts the pre- and post-match studio coverage for all 22 games on TVNZ 1.

Game commentary throughout is from Fifa’s official world feed, and replays of the free-to-air games will be available on TVNZ+ shortly after the final whistle.

Game on, and go team.

All Whites kick-off times

NZ vs Iran Tuesday, June 16, 1pm

NZ vs Egypt Monday, June 22, 1pm

NZ vs Belgium Saturday, June 27, 3pm

If there’s not enough drama and comedy on the field, there are more World Cup-inspired shows on the sidelines.

There’s plenty of play happening off the pitch, with football and football-adjacent shows filling TV line-ups.

Understandably, TVNZ is fronting a strong team of shows. A favourite has to be the BBC’s prestige drama, Dear England. Starring Joseph Fiennes and Jodie Whittaker, the four-episode adaptation of the hit stage play follows Gareth Southgate’s transformative stint as England manager between 2018 and 2022. The narrative focuses on his battle to reform the squad’s culture and lift the notorious penalty-shootout curse that routinely derailed England’s campaigns. The Guardian called the series a “rousing, joyful football drama”.

Another crowd pleaser is the BBC’s biting mockumentary Twenty Twenty Six. The six-part satire is the spiritual sequel to the London Olympics office comedy Twenty Twelve and its backstage BBC follow-up W1A, and sees Hugh Bonneville back as bureaucrat Ian Fletcher, who has inexplicably landed the role of “director of integrity” at the World Cup’s Miami headquarters. Critics welcomed the witty series, with the Wall Street Journal saying it was, “a particular pleasure to watch Greater Futbol so deliciously roasted”. Both are streaming on TVNZ+ now.

Closer to home, TVNZ’s trivia game show Tipping Point NZ gets in on the World Cup action with a football special, with host Daniel Faitaua quizzing members of the All Whites. It screens on TVNZ 1 on June 22, the same day the team face Egypt in their second group game.

Netflix is also in contention with a slew of football docos on offer. The Bus: A French Football Mutiny unpacks the spectacular meltdown of the French squad at the 2010 World Cup. This culminated in the players going on strike and infamously locking themselves inside their bus.

Across the channel, Untold UK is a gritty sports anthology that sees former internationals Jamie Vardy (England) and Vinnie Jones (Wales), plus Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League-winning team all discussing their dramatic, career-defining triumphs and revealing the wild truths happening behind the scenes. The series has been well received, but critics have noted it could be too “insider football” for the casuals.

Fans of the flamboyant Brazil are well served, with Netflix now streaming two contrasting retrospectives. Brazil ’70: The Third Star dramatises football icon Pelé’s high-pressure run to a third title against a backdrop of political chaos, while USA 94: Brazil’s Return to Glory is a more conventional doco that shows how the country ended its 24-year World Cup drought with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Italy.

And for those wanting some more fanciful football action, Neon is fielding soccer-related comedies She’s All That and the timeless crowd-pleaser Bend it Like Beckham.