The world’s best women’s soccer (football, outside the U.S.) teams are in Australia and New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup (officially, the FIFA Women’s World Cup), a sporting event that only happens every four years. The U.S. team won its first match of the tournament, against Vietnam, and they battled the Netherlands to a 1-1 draw.
The women will face off against Portugal on Tuesday, August 1 at midnight Pacific time, 3:00 a.m. Eastern. The U.S. took home the tournament trophy in 2015 and again in 2019. Will there be a three-peat? Here’s how you can stream all the action on the pitch live or, given the time differences, on a cloud DVR so you can watch at a more convenient time (if you can avoid spoilers).
Fox and Telemundo own the U.S. television broadcast rights to the Women’s World Cup, covering the games in English and Spanish respectively. Fox will show 24 of the tournament’s 64 games on its regular channel, carrying the rest of the games on its Fox Sports 1 (FS1) network.
Unlike cable or satellite TV, you can sign up for any of the services listed below on a month-to-month basis, there are no long-term contracts or early-cancellation fees to worry about. A few of the services listed below are offering free or discounted trials. We’ve sorted the list according to the price of a subscription, with the least-expensive service first.
Where to stream the 2023 Women’s World Cup
Peacock
Peacock offers the least-expensive way to watch the Women’s World Cup by a wide margin: Just $5.99 per month—provided you speak Spanish or want to watch the games without any accompanying analysis. That’s because NBCUniversal owns both Peacock and Telemundo, and it’s Telemundo’s coverage that will be streaming on Peacock. Peacock offers other TV entertainment as well, but not the live TV you’ll get with Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling, or YouTube TV. You can stream Peacock on up to three screens simultaneously, but there is no cloud DVR service. Keep your eyes peeled for the frequent promo offers that make Peacock cost a whole lot less.
Sling TV
A subscription to Sling TV costs a lot less than the other streaming services that carry live TV, and you will get Fox FS1 provided you sign up for both the Sling TV Orange and Sling TV Blue packages. It’s worth noting, however, that with Fox carrying some of the games on its regular channel, you won’t see every game on Sling unless you live in a market where Sling carries your local Fox broadcasts (you can get more information about local channels at Sling.com).
Subscribing to both costs $55 per month, a savings of $25 per month if you sign up for each separately. Sling TV offers most of its content at 30 frames per second, but Fox Sports streams at a much smoother 60-fps-rate. Subscribers to both Sling Orange and Sling Blue can stream channels on the former to one device at a time, but the channels on the latter can be streamed to three devices simultaneously. Sling’s cloud DVR storage is more limited than on other services, but you do get 50 hours for free (and you can pay $5 per month for an additional 200 hours of storage).
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is our second-favorite live TV streaming service overall, and its least-expensive subscription tier—$69.99 per month—includes Fox’s FS1 and ESPN+ (with ads), where you’ll find post-match analysis. Hulu offers smooth 60-frames-per-second video for sports, and unlimited cloud DVR service, where you can store programs for up to nine months. If the whole family isn’t interested in soccer, you can stream Hulu on up to two screens at once, at least within your home. If you want to watch TV on a mobile device while on the go, you’ll need to add Hulu’s Unlimited Screens add-on, which lets you stream to an unlimited number of screens at home, plus three mobile devices when you’re out and about. That option costs an additional $9.99 per month.
YouTube TV
If you’re looking for the best live TV-streaming service of all, YouTube TV is our top pick. It’s also one of more expensive means of TV entertainment: $72.99 per month, although you’ll only pay $64.99 for the first three months. You can also get a taste of what YouTube TV is like with a unique free 20-minute preview (yes, that’s minutes, not days or even hours). YouTube TV includes Fox FS1, of course, and you’ll get 60-frames-per-second streaming for smooth sports action. You’ll also get unlimited cloud DVR service and up to six individual accounts per household, each with its own DVR storage and personalized recommendations. You can stream YouTube TV to TVs as well as mobile devices, but you’re limited to three streams simultaneously.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream is our top pick in streaming-TV services that include sports coverage, and Fox’s FS1 is included in its least-expensive subscription tier, which costs $74.99 per month ($64.99 for the first three months). DirecTV has an excellent cloud DVR service with no limits, but we’ve found that it chugs on lower-powered streaming devices, including the least-expensive Amazon Fire TV and Android TV products. There’s no limit on the number of simultaneous streams that travel over your home network, but DirecTV Stream does limit you to three streams on mobile devices operating outside your network. You’re further restricted to two streaming devices (e.g., a Chromecast and an Amazon Fire TV Stick) that are connected to TVs outside of your home network.
Fubo
Fubo, formerly FuboTV, is nearly synonymous with sports coverage, and Fox FS1 is included in its least-expensive subscription tier; however, the service pricey at $74.99 per month. Fubo streams at a smooth 60 frames per second, and you’ll get a generous—but not unlimited—1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. You can stream Fubo on up to three devices at a time, including supported mobile devices at multiple locations simultaneously. Unlike many other live TV-streaming services, Fubo does offer a 7-day free trial. You’ll need to provide a credit card when you sign up, and you’ll be automatically billed for your first month of service if you don’t cancel before the trial ends.
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering the tech industry, focusing on the smart home, home audio, and home theater. He built his own smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world test lab for product reviews. Following a relocation to the Pacific Northwest, he is now converting his new home, an 1890 Victorian bungalow, into a modern smart home.