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The first spot in the 2018 World Cup final is up for grabs Tuesday, as France and Belgium go head-to-head in what should be an absolute thriller in Saint Petersburg.
In the United States, the game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on both Fox (English broadcast) and Telemundo (Spanish broadcast). If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch the game–and every other World Cup game–live on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
Fox (live in most markets) and Telemundo are both included in the “Fubo Premier” bundle, which has a channel package that is largely tailored towards international soccer fans and also has World Cup live streams available in 4K. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch any World Cup game live on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch the game live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch any World Cup game up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it.
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of live TV channels, including both Fox (live in most markets) and Telemundo. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch every World Cup game live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch the game live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials), allowing you to watch any game after it airs.
Fox (but not Telemundo) is included in the “Sling Blue” package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of both, and you can then watch any World Cup game live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch a game live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
Preview
It would be wrong to call this the “de-facto final” because anything can happen in the real final, and it would be thoroughly disrespectful to just dismiss Croatia and England. However, it is fair to say that these are the two most talented teams remaining in the World Cup.
France, who are coming off a 2-0 win over Uruguay in the quarterfinals, have an embarrassment of riches in the attack in Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and young superstar Kylian Mbappe, and they have two players capable of controlling the midfield in Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante.
Belgium, who are the first team since Brazil in 2002 to tally 14 goals before the World Cup semifinals, have perhaps the best 1-2 punch in the world in Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, while Romelu Lukaku is a force to be dealt with up front.
“They are an exhaustive team, they know how to do everything,” said French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. “I think the Belgian team is the most exhaustive team in all aspects of the game during this tournament – they are strong everywhere. They have everything they need to be a great team and they are a great team.”
France and Belgium have combined for 23 goals this World Cup, with 12 of those coming in open play. There is world-class talent all over the field, a handful of players are capable of taking over a game with a single play, and there should be no shortage of opportunities on each side.
Even if this wasn’t a World Cup semifinal, it would be a fantastic matchup. But considering also that a spot in the World Cup final is at stake–it would be France’s first since 1998, and Belgium’s first ever–this is a drop-everything-you’re-doing-and-watch kind of matchup.