World Cup: How to watch live telecast, streaming of matches in India?

Football fans in India will need a Zee5 subscription to watch the live telecast of all 104 FIFA World Cup matches, which kicks off with a match between Mexico and South Africa at 12.30 am IST (Friday). Zee Entertainment, which recently secured the India broadcast rights after months of uncertainty, has unveiled dedicated World Cup streaming plans and confirmed the television channels that will carry the matches.

Zee5 is offering a special FIFA WC'26 + All Access subscription pack for the tournament, according to a release. Viewers can choose between: 3-month plan: Rs 799 (works on up to three devices); 1-year plan: Rs 1,699 (works on up to four devices). The plans include access to World Cup matches along with Zee5’s broader content library.

Fans who prefer watching on television can tune in to Zee Entertainment's newly launched sports channels: Unite8 Sports 1; Unite8 Sports 1 HD; Unite8 Sports 2 & Unite8 Sports 2 HD. All matches will be, meanwhile, available for live streaming on Zee5 through smartphones, laptops, tablets, smart TVs and other supported devices.

Despite being one of the few major football markets in Asia, India remained without a confirmed broadcaster for the tournament until recently. While China finalised its World Cup broadcast deal in May, Indian football fans had to wait until the final days before kickoff for an official announcement.  However, the match timings for pose a challenge for Indian viewers as they will be played across multiple cities and time zones in North America.

Expected start times include: Atlanta matches: 9:30 pm IST; Dallas and Houston matches: 10:30 pm IST; San Francisco, Vancouver and Monterrey matches: Up to 9:30 am IST. The opening match, both semi-finals and the final are scheduled to begin at 12:30 am IST making them late-night viewing events for football fans in India.

Meanwhile, a massive opening ceremony packed with music, culture and global entertainment will usher in the tournament and this year’s ceremonies will not follow the traditional single-city format. Instead, FIFA will launch the tournament through interconnected events in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

Shakira will headline the ceremony and perform Dai Dai, the official tournament anthem alongside Nigerian superstar Burna Boy. Colombian singer J Balvin and South African artist Tyla are also scheduled to appear.Mexico’s own music icons will play a major role as well as Alejandro Fernandez, Lila Downs, Belinda, Danny Ocean, legendary band Maná, and Los Ángeles Azules are all expected to perform during the celebration.

Canada’s ceremony in Toronto will include Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Michael Bublé, Jessie Reyez, Elyanna, Vegedream, William Prince, Nora Fatehi  and Sanjoy.The United States ceremony in Los Angeles is expected to deliver a Hollywood-style production before the USA face Paraguay in its tournament opener.