While only about 3 percent of Americans claim men’s soccer as their favorite sport, the 2014 World Cup seems to have compelled some non-fans to pay attention.
For the next month, as 32 soccer teams face off in Brazil, people from around the globe will be glued to their TV screens. Most of them will be able to watch the games for free. But if you’re part of an ever growing contingency of Americans known as “cord cutters,” those who have boldly cancelled their cable subscriptions in favor of streaming content on the internet, you’re going to have to get a little more creative.
Four years ago, over 24 million Americans tuned in to watch the World Cup. (No small potatoes, but still a paltry figure when compared to the 111.5 million people who tuned in to watch this year’s Super Bowl.) Since then, cord-cutting has increased by 44 percent, from 5.1 million to 7.6 million households.
If you live in one of those homes, the bad news is ABC is only broadcasting a handful of the matches for free on broadcast TV, and won’t be putting any of them online. Most of the games will be shown on ESPN, meaning you’ll need a cable subscription if you want to watch. (If you do have cable, you can use the WatchESPN digital video service to stream games.)
That is — if you want to watch in English.
Spanish language broadcast network Univision may be your saving grace. Univision is streaming the first 56 matches at its website (Google’s Chrome browser can translate the site if you can’t read Spanish) and Univision will broadcast games after the quarterfinals on TV. Univision pulled in two times the number of viewers as ESPN during the 2010 Cup.
For the more savvy internet users among you, the thing all the cool kids are doing to watch this World Cup is to use a VPN, or virtual private network. VPNs essentially fool a streaming service that is restricted to a certain country into thinking you live there. Tunnelbear, VyprVPN, and Unotelly are all popular and easy to use VPNs.
And, of course, there’s always the old fashioned way: Knock off work early, head to your local bar, plop down on a stool, order a drink, look up at the TV and enjoy. This might not be the most healthy or economical way, but it could be the most fun. But as they say in the commercials, please drink responsibly.
Still not satisfied? Deadspin has put together an exhaustive list, game-by-game, or where you can watch each match online.
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