R10 to watch all 2026 FIFA World Cup matches live in South Africa

Local football fans have several streaming and broadcasting options to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off with the first match between South Africa and Mexico tonight.

The latest edition of the tournament is unique in several regards. Firstly, matches are being hosted across three countries — Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

It is also the first time in FIFA World Cup history that the tournament has expanded beyond a 32-team format.

48 nations are set to compete for the prized trophy, including the three host nations, which qualified automatically.

The 48 competing teams have been divided into 12 groups of four. Each team will play three matches in the group stage, one against each team in their group.

The South African team, Bafana Bafana, is in Group A. Following their first match against Mexico, the team will play against South Korea and Czechia.

As has been the case in recent tournaments, teams will receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.

The top two teams in each group will qualify automatically for the round of 32, as well as the eight highest-scoring third-placed teams. From then on, teams will play in knockout matches.

The winners advance to the round of 16, followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and lastly the final on 19 July 2026. A third-place playoff awaits the two losers in the semi-finals.

Bafana Bafana’s qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was a momentous occasion. While it qualified in 2010, the qualification was automatic because South Africa was hosting the tournament.

The last time Bafana Bafana qualified for the tournament on merit was for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Under former Cameroon coach Hugo Broos, the team finished third in the African Cup of Nations in 2023.

The team’s most recent match was against Nicaragua at Orlando Stadium in late May 2026 and ended in a goalless draw.

Cheapest ways to watch

Unlike in previous years, South African football fans have a number of ways to access the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches for less than R100.

Firstly, the SABC will air 34 of the 104 live matches, including all Bafana Bafana matches and the final, on SABC 3 and through the free SABC+ streaming platform.

Speaking to Cape Talk, veteran broadcasting journalist Thinus Ferreira said this would likely be the ideal solution for Bafana Bafana fans.

“If you really want to watch it, the SABC is showing about a third of all the important matches. You can get away with not really losing out on anything and not having to pay for it,” he said.

“The SABC’s coverage will be really quite comprehensive because they also did a sub-licensing deal,” he said. “You’re not going to miss anything South Africa related.”

DStv is broadcasting and streaming all 104 matches live on its SuperSport channels on all packages from Access upwards.

According to Ferreira, the R99 Access package is aimed at attracting former subscribers back to DStv’s ecosystem, adding that the broadcaster is not worried about how much money it will make from the deal.

“They want to try and get those 2.8 million DStv subscribers rehabituated to come back into their ecosystem and actually pay for a monthly subscription,” he said.

However, it remains to be seen whether the offering will be a significant drawing card, as another company is offering an even cheaper option for watching all the matches.

SportyTV plans to show all matches on its mobile and TV streaming apps, priced at just R10 for a once-off tournament pass.

It has also committed to live-streaming matches on its SportyTV Africa YouTube channel, requiring viewers to pay a minimum of R14.99 per month for a channel membership.

FIFA World Cup 2026 streaming and broadcasting options

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