How to watch Group B of the World Cup – live stream Portugal, Spain, Morocco matches

With the qualifiers out of the way, we’re about to enter the 2018 World Cup group stage. In this post, we’ll be explaining how you can stream every Group B game live online and in HD. We’ll show you how to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to grant access to region-locked platforms. This means that whether you’re at home or abroad, you’ll be able to access Group B World Cup games from the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, and anywhere else in the world. Additionally, we’ve included a fun fact about every Group B team so you can see how well you know the history of each squad.

It’s important to note that we’ll only be recommending official sources. The FIFA World Cup 2018 will be broadcast by major networks around the world, often for free, so there’s really no reason to resort to third-party sources. Unlicensed streams are prone to being taken down, are often poor quality, and lack many of the features that high-profile streaming platforms have to offer.

This guide focus on how to stream Group B games: Portugal v Spain and Morocco v Iran. We have a more detailed guide here on how to watch the World Cup online if you are interested in other games.

FIFA World Cup 2018 live streaming: use a VPN

Nov 2024

Major streaming services often use region-locking to prevent people outside of their broadcast area from viewing. However, these restrictions can be bypassed by connecting to one of your VPN’s servers in the required location. For example, using an American server will unblock NBC Sports, FOX, and beIN Sports, while a British one could unblock BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub.

We recommend using ExpressVPN to stream the World Cup. It has a vast server network, robust security features, and best of all, speeds that are fast enough to stream live video in the highest resolution available. ExpressVPN doesn’t log details of your activities. 24/7 support is available should you run into any problems.

The sign-up process is easy. Select your subscription terms (1 month, 6 months, or 12 months), and pay for the subscription. ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which will cover the majority of the World Cup schedule. If you’d like to continue using the service afterward, you can, but you can cancel easily if you find the service isn’t to your liking without any penalty.

BEST VPN FOR STREAMING THE WORLD CUP:ExpressVPN is our #1 Choice. With a vast server network that is optimized for high-speed connections, it’s perfect for watching the World Cup. User-friendly apps for all operating systems. Hard to beat on privacy and security. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can try it risk-free.

Read our full review of ExpressVPN.

How to watch World Cup Group B games with a VPN

1. Decide which VPN you’d like to use. We’ve already covered ExpressVPN, but NordVPN and CyberGhost are both excellent low-cost alternatives.
2. Sign up on the VPN provider’s website.
3. Download the appropriate version of the VPN client for your operating system.
4. Choose a streaming site from our list below.
5. Connect to one of your VPN’s servers in the site’s broadcast region.
6. Try watching something on the site. Your video should load without any problems.

Watching World Cup Group B games from one of the competing countries

The World Cup is a huge sporting event, so as you might expect, it’s being shown in almost every country in the world. Below, we’ll explain how to watch Group B games from inside one of the participating countries.

Portugal

Both RTP and SIC will be showing eight games for free, at least one of which features the Portuguese team. However, only the subscription service Sport TV is licensed to show the entire tournament. Its basic plans start at €9.99 a month, but you have the option to pay more in exchange for 4K streams and access to several other sports channels.

All of the services above offer Portuguese commentary.

Did you know? Portugal have come 2nd and 3rd in the World Cup before, but never first. Still, if they get to the final three enough times, odds are they’ll win sooner or later.

Spain

Mediaset España are the sole official broadcaster in Spain. It will be showing every game for free on Telecinco and Cuatro.

Both services above will be in Spanish. There is no official World Cup stream that offers Catalan commentary.

Fun fact: Spain are known for their tiki-taka style of play that focuses on short passes and squeezing the ball through tight avenues at high speeds.

Morocco

SNRT will be showing all of Morocco’s games free of charge. Israeli channel KAN will broadcast every game to Arab countries including Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan for free.

beIN Sports Connect will also be showing every World Cup game. You can watch for free if beIN Sports is included in your cable package, but if not, you can pay $18 for a monthly pass.

Each of these services will provide Arabic commentary.

A little trivia: Morocco reached the knockout stage in the 1986 World Cup, but haven’t qualified again since 1998. Fans will be looking for great things from their star player, Medhi Benatia, who’s played for the national team more than 50 times.

Iran

As Iran didn’t pay for World Cup broadcasting rights and isn’t a primarily Arabic nation, there are no live streams or TV broadcasts available to Iranian viewers. There are reports that some movie theaters will be screening selected games, however.

Interesting stat: Iran have only ever won a single game during the World Cup group stage. It was in 1998, when they beat the United States 2-1.

Watching World Cup games Group B games from abroad

As the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be shown in more than a hundred countries, it’s relatively straightforward to find a stream in your native language, no matter where you’re from. If your country isn’t listed below, you can check out our World Cup commentary guide, or look at the official list of 2018 World Cup broadcasters. Here’s a rundown of coverage in select regions:

USA

There are two official broadcasters in the US: FOX Sports and Telemundo Deportes. FOX Sports can be watched for free if it’s included in your Sling TV or cable package, otherwise you’ll have to pay $19.99 for a monthly FOXSoccerMatchPass. This comes with a seven-day trial, so if you find it unsatisfactory, you can always cancel before the trial ends.

Telemundo Deportes will show its streams online via NBC Sports. At present, this service doesn’t offer a World Cup pass, but this will likely be released in the week or so preceding the first game. There are more details here on how to watch the World Cup without cable.

FOX Sports will provide English commentary, while Telemundo Deportes will be in Spanish.

UK

Every 2018 World Cup game will be available on either BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub. These are both free services, but you’ll be asked if you have a valid UK TV License. Despite this, there are no verification measures in place to prevent access.

The BBC have been aggressively blocking VPNs recently, and as a result, there are only a few left that can bypass the iPlayer’s region-locking.

All ITV and BBC coverage will be in English.

Canada

There are three channels in Canada that will be showing every World Cup game: CTV, RDS, and TSN. All three have online live streams, but require you to sign in with your cable provider credentials.

CTV and TSN will offer English commentary, while RDS will be in French.

Australia

SBS will show 25 matches, including every game that involves the Australian national team. There are no details yet regarding whether or not these will be streamed live online.

Optus Sport has the rights to show all 64 games. This service is available as part of many Optus packages, but non-Optus viewers can subscribe to the premium plan for A$15 per month.

2018 World Cup: Group B fixtures

There will be six Group B games in total, spread over three days.

Russia World Cup 2018 FAQs

How does the group stage work?

The 32 national teams that made it through the knockout stage in 2015 have been split into eight four-team groups. Each team plays three games: one against each other team in their group. Points are awarded for winning or drawing each match, and once all six matches have taken place, the two teams with the most points go on to a secondary knockout bracket.

Slowly, the remaining teams are whittled down until only one remains: the 2018 World Cup champions. As we don’t know which teams will be playing in the last leg of the tournament just yet, there isn’t a lot of information regarding the final games. Up-to-date information about each fixture will be shown on the official World Cup schedule page as it becomes available.

Can I watch the World Cup group matches on mobile?

Every service we’ve discussed in this article has apps for Android and iOS. You should note that while the basic functionality will be present in the mobile app, more advanced features like subtitle support and video resolution switching may not be supported.

Do I need a VPN if there’s a free World Cup stream in my country?

Technically you can watch your country’s streams without connecting to a VPN, but we’d recommend using one anyway. These services encrypt your network traffic, preventing it from being read by any outside observers like your Internet Service Provider (ISP). As such, details of your activities cannot be sold to third parties. Further, without proof of your activities, your ISP will find it more difficult to justify throttling your connection.

Comparitech does not condone or encourage any copyright violation, including streaming video from pirated sources. Although VPNs can skirt geographical restrictions and mask the user’s identity, please consider the local laws, victims, and risks of piracy before downloading or streaming copyrighted material without permission.