How to watch the World Cup on your phone or computer
Can't make it out to all the game screenings in Shanghai? Don't want to sit in a bar at 2am to watch your team play their rivals? No problem. As things start heating up in the group stages, here's a list of places to stream all the matches of the 2018 World Cup in Russia from the comfort of your home, workplace or subway car – and they're all free.
1. Sporty
This incredible WeChat account shows all the games live, with highlights and numerous other sports offered as well (we're talking rugby, cricket, horse racing and more). Sporty is definitely the best way to stream all the games in China with English commentary. With daily highlights sent through the official account, as well as the ability to set yourself reminders (for those pesky past-midnight games), this convenient account will make sure you don't miss any of the World Cup games. You can also watch matches on your computer – copy the URL that Sporty will text you and paste it into your browser (only one device allowed).
2. Youku
Youku has the exclusive online rights to the 2018 World Cup in China. Showing 64 live games, this website also offers off-game highlights and all the football coverage you may want, with Chinese commentary.
3. BBC iPlayer and ITV Player (VPN required)
BBC and ITV are showing all the matches on their UK sites. If you log into a UK-routed VPN and go to the websites or download their apps (BBC, ITV), you can watch all the games in English. As ITV and BBC share broadcasting rights, the two sites share the coverage, so make sure to check out both players. You may need to sign in and confirm you have a TV license.
4. Match TV (VPN required)
To really immerse yourself in the spirit of this year's World Cup, stream all the games, live, in Russian! What more could you want? Connect to a Russian VPN and click on the screening page at the top right (see below). Now you can pretend you're in Russia watching the World Cup as you sit in Shanghai traffic and look at a small screen.
5. CCTV5 app
Download the official CCTV5 app and get access to all the games live, as well as replays of any match you may have missed. The app and coverage is all in Chinese. Available for both Apple and Android users, search 'CCTV5' in the app store.