The cult of the individual means the Ballon d’Or is almost as big as the World Cup itself these days, and with Lamine Yamal and Erling Haaland now on the scene – and more than capable of eclipsing Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar – this summer’s tournament is bursting at the seams with alphas.
However, the real ones already know the star of the show.
A VPN (virtual private network) will take your World Cup viewing experience to the next level, especially if you plan to spend any time in the US, where every single game is locked securely behind a paywall.
Almost everywhere else, a significant number of games – if not all 104 of them – are free-to-air. Fans based in the UK, Australia and Ireland, for example, are among the luckiest in the world because they get wall-to-wall free coverage.
Go abroad, though, and the free coverage will be blocked… unless you have a VPN handy. Here’s our quick guide to watching the World Cup with a VPN.
What is a VPN?
A VPN is a very smart but cheap and easy-to-use tool that can redirect your internet traffic through servers based almost anywhere in the world.
It can be helpful to think of them as Internet wormholes.
Use a VPN to connect to a server stationed in the UK and your device will behave as if it is physically in the UK.
What do VPNs do?
One of the most popular uses for VPNs is to get around geo-restrictions.
Geo-restrictions are what broadcasters use to lock TV shows, movies and sports coverage to specific countries. They’re the reason your Netflix library looks so different when you go abroad on holiday, and why local platforms – such as BBC iPlayer in the UK and SBS on Demand in Australia – don’t work elsewhere.
If you have a vacation or work trip planned that overlaps with the World Cup, geo-restrictions will prevent you from taking advantage of your preferred coverage of the tournament.
A VPN will solve this problem. For example, if you’re a Brit spending time abroad, you won’t be able to access BBC or ITV’s World Cup coverage. However, use a VPN to connect to a UK server and as if by magic you’ll be able to stream the football exactly as you would at home.
And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
VPNs also encrypt your browsing data, making it much harder for cybercriminals, advertisers, and even governments to track your online activities, and in some cases have been known to improve connection speeds.
Which VM radio stations can VPNs unblock?
BBC iPlayer and ITVX in Great Britain, SBS on Demand in Australia, and RTÉ is playing in Ireland, are each providing free World Cup coverage this summer, and in our extensive testing we’ve successfully unblocked them all.
Which VPNs work for VM streaming?
Based on our extensive testing, we’re confident that each of the best VPNs on the market will help you unblock your go-to World Cup broadcast, but the one we recommend above all else is Norton VPN.
We test and review VPN services for legitimate recreational use. For example: 1. Accessing a Service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that Service). 2. Protecting your online security and enhancing your online privacy when you are abroad. We do not support or condone illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consumption of paid-for pirated content is neither endorsed nor endorsed by Future Publishing.
