How to watch the FIFA World Cup 2022 in 4K HDR: You can watch the World Cup in stunning Ultra HD (also known as 4K or UHD). Also with HDR support, the tournament will look better than ever.
The 2022 World Cup kicks off on Sunday, November 20, with host country Qatar meeting Ecuador. If you live in the UK and have a Smart TV, chances are you will be able to watch the tournament opening in 4K HDR.
The BBC has announced that it plans to show each of the 33 games it has the rights to broadcast in UHD, with support for HDR via the HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) format developed by Beeb. There are a total of 64 games in the tournament, meaning more than half of them will be available to watch in 4K HDR.
How to watch the World Cup in 4K on BBC iPlayer
The BBC can’t offer 4K through its traditional broadcast network, so you’ll need a smart TV (or media player) with iPlayer installed if you’re going to enjoy the World Cup in 4K on the BBC. These days, the BBC has greatly expanded the lineup of 4K TVs that can enjoy UHD content with HLG HDR.
The full list is here, but most sets from 2018 onwards are capable of handling 4K UHD HDR broadcasts, including TVs from Samsung, Sony, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Toshiba, Sharp, HiSense, and JVC .
The iPlayer app on some Amazon, Roku, Virgin Media, and YouView set-top boxes and media players can also handle UHD streams.
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Are England games in 4K?
England’s opening match against Iran will be broadcast on Monday 21 November on the BBC. This means you’ll be able to watch in 4K HDR on iPlayer with kick-off at 1pm UK time.
The Three Lions’ final match against Wales on Tuesday 29 November is also on the BBC. Departure at 7:00 pm.
Unfortunately, the match against the USA on November 25 (starting at 7pm) will be on ITV.
What games does the BBC show in 4K?
The BBC is showing a total of 24 live multiplayer games, all of which will be available in 4K on BBC iPlayer. You can see the table below. TV rights to the knockout stages will be announced once the group matches are completed, but the Beeb will have nine more live matches including the final on December 18.
- November 20, 16:00: Qatar – Ecuador
- November 21, 13:00: England – Iran
- November 22, 16:00: Mexico – Poland
- November 22, 19:00: France – Australia
- November 23, 19:00: Belgium – Canada
- November 24, 13:00: Uruguay – South Korea
- November 24, 19:00: Brazil – Serbia
- Nov. 25, 10:00: Wales vs Iran
- November 25, 13:00: Qatar – Senegal
- November 26, 10:00: Tunisia – Australia
- November 27, 13:00: Belgium – Morocco
- November 27, 16:00: Croatia – Canada
- November 27, 19:00: Spain – Germany
- November 28, 13:00: South Korea – Ghana
- November 29, 19:00: Iran – USA
- November 29, 19:00: Wales vs England
- November 30, 15:00: Tunisia – France
- November 30, 15:00: Australia – Denmark
- November 30, 19:00: Poland – Argentina
- November 30, 19:00: Saudi Arabia – Mexico
- December 1, 16:00: Canada – Morocco
- December 1, 16:00: Croatia – Belgium
- December 2, 16:00: Ghana – Uruguay
- December 2, 16:00: South Korea – Portugal
Are ITV World Cup games in 4K?
Unfortunately no. ITV has not invested in 4K technology, so it will not be broadcasting any of the 2022 World Cup games in 4K. BBC is the only game in town in the UK.
Considering the problems fans had with Euro broadcasting on ITV Hub last summer, you’d have to think you’re lucky if you’re able to watch on ITV at all.