England and Argentina meet Wednesday in one of the most anticipated matches of the 2026 World Cup, and fans around the world have multiple free options to watch the semifinal live, depending on their location. Here’s a country-by-country breakdown of where to catch the match without a subscription.

Match Details

The semifinal kicks off at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, July 15, at Atlanta Stadium, also known as Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. The winner advances to Sunday’s World Cup final at New York-New Jersey Stadium against either France or Spain.

Kickoff times vary significantly depending on time zone. In the United States, the match starts at 3 p.m. ET. In the United Kingdom, kickoff falls at 8 p.m. BST. Viewers in India will see the match begin at 12:30 a.m. IST on Thursday, July 16, while fans in Australia will need to tune in early, with kickoff scheduled for 5 a.m. AEST on Thursday.

United Kingdom: Free on BBC

British fans have the simplest path to watching for free. The match is being broadcast live and free-to-air on BBC One, with coverage also available online through BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. All three options are accessible without any additional subscription cost beyond a valid UK television license, making this one of the most straightforward free-viewing options available anywhere in the world for Wednesday’s match.

Australia: Free via SBS

Australian viewers can watch the match for free courtesy of SBS, which holds broadcast rights to the tournament in Australia. Cord-cutters and those without traditional television access can stream the match through the SBS On Demand platform and mobile app, both of which are free to use without a subscription.

Canada: Free on CTV

In Canada, the match will be available for free on CTV, though viewers will need to log in using their television provider credentials to access the broadcast. Canadian fans who prefer additional coverage options can also watch through TSN, the country’s dedicated sports network, or its streaming platform TSN+, though the latter requires a paid subscription.

United States: Free Broadcast on Fox and Telemundo

In the United States, the match airs nationally on Fox for English-language commentary, with a Spanish-language broadcast simultaneously airing on Telemundo. Because both Fox and Telemundo are major over-the-air broadcast networks, U.S. viewers can watch either feed completely free of charge by connecting a standard digital TV antenna to their television, without needing any cable subscription or streaming service.

For those who have cut the cord entirely and prefer to stream on a smart TV, tablet or mobile device, several streaming platforms offer free trial periods that could cover the match at no cost. Fox’s dedicated streaming service, Fox One, offers a three-day free trial that would encompass Wednesday’s semifinal. Streaming service Fubo, which carries Fox, ABC, ESPN, CBS and more than 100 other channels, has also offered a free one-day trial that could be used to access the broadcast without payment.

India: Coverage on Zee5

Viewers in India can access the match through Zee5, one of the country’s major streaming platforms, with kickoff scheduled for 12:30 a.m. IST early Thursday morning local time.

A Historic Broadcast Slate for a Historic Rivalry

Wednesday’s match carries significant historical weight beyond its broadcast details. This will be the first meeting between England and Argentina at a World Cup in 21 years, and the first time in his career that Lionel Messi has faced England, despite having made more than 200 international appearances for Argentina.

The rivalry between the two nations remains one of the most storied in World Cup history, forever tied to Diego Maradona’s controversial “Hand of God” goal during their 1986 quarterfinal meeting. England holds a narrow historical edge in their head-to-head World Cup record, though both teams have needed extra time in multiple matches to reach this stage of the tournament.

England advanced to the semifinal following a dramatic 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway in the quarterfinals, powered by a Jude Bellingham brace that included a 93rd-minute winning goal. Argentina, meanwhile, reached the semifinal with a 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland, continuing what has been a five-win, unbeaten run through the tournament for the defending champions.

What to Expect on the Pitch

Both teams enter Wednesday’s match with significant firepower up front. Messi leads the tournament’s Golden Boot race with eight goals, while England’s Harry Kane and Bellingham sit tied for the tournament lead among teammates with six goals each, marking the first time in men’s World Cup history that two players from the same nation have each scored six or more goals in a single tournament.

England will be without midfielder Jarell Quansah, who remains suspended for the second game of a two-match ban following a red card in the round of 16, and veteran Jordan Henderson, who is unavailable due to a broken arm. Argentina has reported no significant injury concerns heading into the match.

A Note on Accessing Streams While Traveling

For fans traveling outside their home country during the tournament, some streaming services may restrict access based on location due to broadcast licensing agreements. Travelers looking to access their usual home-country coverage while abroad can typically do so using a virtual private network, or VPN, which allows a device to appear as though it is connecting from a different location. It’s worth noting that streaming access and blackout rules vary by provider and country, so fans should check the specific terms of their preferred broadcaster before relying on this option.

With so much on the line and such broad global interest in the fixture, Wednesday’s England-Argentina semifinal is expected to draw one of the largest global television audiences of the tournament so far, as fans across multiple continents tune in through their respective free and paid broadcast options to watch one of international football’s most storied rivalries renewed on the sport’s biggest stage.

British business travellers could be boarding a direct train from London to Cologne by 2030, after start-up operator Gemini Trains vowed to break Eurostar’s 32-year grip on the Channel Tunnel with new routes, new stations and introductory Paris fares of about £59.

The British-based company, which says it is backed by a Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund, wants to run rival services to Paris, including Disneyland Paris and Charles de Gaulle airport, alongside the Cologne route. It then aims to expand to Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, putting three of Germany’s biggest commercial centres within direct rail reach of London for the first time.

For firms trading with the Rhineland, the difference would be stark. Gemini says London to Cologne would take about four hours, similar to Eurostar’s London to Amsterdam service. Today the same trip can take up to six hours with at least one change.

With capacity at St Pancras under pressure, Gemini plans to make Stratford International its main London hub, with trains also calling at Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International, where Eurostar suspended services in 2020. That would restore a direct continental link for Kent’s business community after more than a decade of lobbying. The company has also signed a ticketing and co-branding partnership with Uber, building on its order for a fleet of Siemens high-speed trains announced last year.

Gemini is set to lease eight electric 200m trains carrying more than 550 passengers each, running about eleven services a day by 2030 before “rapid expansion”. Eurostar operates about 26 daily services from London. Tickets will be dynamically priced, with standard class promising “more comfortable seats, good wifi and mood lighting” and business class offering food and a privacy screen.

For more than 30 years Eurostar has been the tunnel’s sole passenger operator, and the crossing still runs at about 50 per cent capacity. But the ground is shifting. Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains, which has ordered 12 Alstom trains for a planned 2030 launch, has secured access to Temple Mills, the east London depot that is the only site in Britain able to house and maintain cross-Channel trains, a decision the regulator said unlocks around £700 million of investment. Italy’s Trenitalia and Spanish start-up Evolyn are also circling, after the rail regulator opened the door to Channel Tunnel competition last year.

Gemini missed out on Temple Mills but said it was speaking to the Department for Transport about a potential new depot at Ashford, and would consider sites in Belgium or Germany.

“Sometimes we think of ourselves as reincarnations of those early day Victorian pioneers,” said Adrian Quine, the chief executive. “Despite having a solid team of experts Gemini Trains is very much a disruptor operator which constantly challenges the status quo.”

He added: “The forecast growth through the Channel Tunnel is enormous, yet only 50 per cent of the slots on the track are currently used. Eurostar, a monopoly operator, has become lacklustre and very expensive. We will shake things up by offering new routes, new stations, new trains, new interiors, new cheaper fares and encouraging people to shift from plane to train.

“For too long there has been no choice but Eurostar, who in 32 years have opened up virtually no new routes and in fact have cut some. Rail is one of the last great industries that has not been liberalised.”

The incumbent is not standing still. Eurostar is preparing to invest £1.7 billion in a fleet of 50 double-decker trains, enabling direct services to Geneva and to Frankfurt via Cologne by 2031, and a report commissioned by the company projects passenger numbers on London routes will rise by 50 per cent over the next decade.

Gwendoline Cazenave, the chief executive of Eurostar, said: “The UK now needs a bold vision to match the private investment on the table – more depot capacity, a bold expansion of St Pancras and a seamless border. Now is the time to act to ensure Britain plays a leading role in Europe’s high-speed rail future.”

For SMEs weary of pricey Paris fares and awkward connections to Germany, competition in the tunnel cannot come soon enough.

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Parenting has never been easy, but raising children in a time where screens are everywhere, while we are still learning how they affect us, can be very worrying.

Dr Tony Sampson, a reader in digital communication at the University of Essex, says parents shouldn’t fall into the trap of moral panic.

“There is a tendency for anxious parents to become caught up in a prevailing media panic and see all adolescent brains as simply hardwired for social media addiction,” he says.

But children and teenagers have what’s called neuroplasticity – their brains are better at adapting and bouncing back than adults’ brains.

“We read a lot about the ways in which social media erodes attention,” he says.

“[But] social media does not shorten or erode attention. It captures it and diverts it toward engagement with commercial content.

“Positive technological use can help boost neuroplasticity for creativity, exploration and learning.”

MM Band Services, the East Yorkshire company providing luxury tour buses to some of the world’s biggest music artists for more than 25 years, has been acquired by Netherlands-based Pieter Smit Group – one of the largest businesses of its kind in Europe

An East Yorkshire firm that supplies luxury tour coaches to the stars has been acquired by a Dutch competitor. MM Band Services has been ensuring some of the globe’s most prominent musical acts reach their performances in comfort for more than a quarter of a century.

Throughout the years, the company, headquartered in Burstwick, Holderness, has delivered transport for international performers and their entourages, including Teddy Swims, Beyoncé, the Foo Fighters, Mumford and Sons, Neil Young, Linkin Park, Kasabian and numerous others. And now the firm is poised to accelerate forward following its acquisition by one of the sector’s largest operators – Netherlands-based Pieter Smit Group.

The transaction, completed for an undisclosed sum, enables the Dutch group to expand its Nightliner tour coach fleet by 24 vehicles, while also establishing a strategic foothold in the UK. Meanwhile, the MM Band Services team and brand will continue to function as before, with managing director Mike Moulds staying at the helm.

Mr Moulds established the business 26 years ago, with his inaugural coach purchase being a vehicle commissioned for veteran British rock outfit Status Quo. The company’s drivers clock up millions of miles annually, throughout the UK and as far afield as Greece and Finland, with connections to Scandinavia and mainland Europe.

The vast majority of buses are supplied to prominent artists in the music industry, along with comedians, drag shows, podcast creators, pantomime casts and golf tours. Last year, the company designed and constructed a bespoke double decker “Star Bus” for US singer-songwriter Teddy Swims, specifically crafted to meet the star’s requirements for his UK and European tour, reports Hull Live.

The £650,000 vehicle is believed to be the only one of its kind in the world to run on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel – an alternative to diesel that cuts fuel emissions by 90 per cent. The Star Bus – designed and built by the MM Band Services team over 18 months – featured an en-suite bedroom for the star, a downstairs toilet, kitchen facilities with a sink and fridge, desk and office space, a lounge area and comfortable, quilted sleeping bunks with gel-cooled mattresses for up to 10 people.

Louise Smit, Pieter Smit chief executive, said: “This step is a natural continuation of how we have always approached our business: staying close to our clients and adapting to the realities of international touring. Since Brexit, operating between the UK and Europe has become more complex. While we already had a strong Nightliner offering, the addition of MM Band Services significantly expands our capacity, allowing us to offer greater flexibility and more reliable support across both regions.”

Pieter Smit Group was founded in 1980 and operates hubs across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Poland and Portugal. Chief financial officer and chief operating officer Jeffrey Ringenier commented: “This acquisition is about positioning. International tours increasingly move between the UK and mainland Europe. With MM, we now have the right structure in place.”

A statement published on MM’s website read: “For years, MM Band Services has been a trusted name in premium artist and crew transportation across the UK and Europe. From intimate club tours to massive arena productions, our mission has always been clear: providing artists and crews with a seamless, comfortable, and reliable home on the road.

“To elevate our service to the next level, MM Band Services is proud to operate as a Pieter Smit Group Company. By joining forces with the premier name in European entertainment logistics, we have completed the puzzle for international touring.

“While we maintain our dedicated UK team, specialist management, and premium fleet of luxury sleeper buses, this partnership gives our clients direct access to a massive European network of trucks, trailers, and specialised event logistics.”

The June quarter earnings season, which began with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on July 9, is set to gather pace this week. Corporate earnings are expected to grow around 10%, marking the strongest expansion in four quarters. On July 15 alone, 43 companies are scheduled to report their June quarter results, according to the BSE earnings calendar.

Key companies reporting earnings later in the day include Groww, Jana Small Finance Bank, HDB Financial Services, HDFC Asset Management Company, HDFC Life Insurance Company, Himadri Specialty Chemical, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company, MRPL, Reliance Infrastructure, Network18, Union Bank of India, Angel One, Container Corporation of India, Emmvee Photovoltaic Power and GTPL Hathaway.

The earnings season gathers further momentum this week, with around 143 companies set to announce their June quarter results. On July 16, key earnings will come from Jio Financial Services, Wipro, Tech Mahindra, ITC Hotels, Newgen Software, Polycab India, South Indian Bank, BHEL, 360 One, CEAT and DB Corp, among others. Results across IT, financial services, FMCG and manufacturing will be closely watched for cues on corporate earnings, domestic demand and sectoral outlooks.

July 17: Notable earnings announcements will come from Reliance Industries, RBL Bank, Federal Bank, Tata Technologies Havells India, JSW Steel, Oberoi Realty, and Poonawalla Fincorp. Covering conglomerates, steel, and banking, these results are expected to provide insights into diversified sectoral growth.

Also read:Radhika Gupta has 17% of her portfolio abroad. Here’s how much she wants Indians to invest globally

July 18: The week closes with key banking names including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, YES Bank, Axis Bank, Can Fin Homes, and Indo Cotspin. Investors will focus on loan growth, asset quality, and capital adequacy as these banks release their Q2 FY26 numbers.
(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)