If trying to watch a World Cup taking place on the other side of the planet is a challenge, with many games kicking off after midnight in the UK, another difficulty is avoiding the overnight results when looking for highlights.
The BBC and ITV have the rights to all 104 games in the UK and both broadcasters have made their highlights spoiler-free on their respective streaming sights, BBC iPlayer and ITV X. On both platforms, the thumbnail does not show the result. You’ll want to go the World Cup hub on iPlayer, or just the main home page on ITV X.
YouTube can be more of a minefield, with thumbnails and headlines often giving away the result or at least a clue as to what unfolded the previous evening. ITV’s are safer than the BBC’s, though, as they make sure they avoid the scoreline in the thumbnail.
Fans in the UK will naturally be keen to follow England and Scotland’s progress at the tournament, but every single game in the competition will be available to watch on free-to-air TV for UK viewers – meaning you can watch more than just the Three Lions’ and Tartan Army’s endeavours.
Of course, you do have to factor in the time difference, with the kinder kick-off times including slots at 6pm BST and 8pm BST, while there are games throughout the night for UK viewers. That includes Scotland’s opening game against Haiti, which kicks off at 2am BST on Sunday 14 June.
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