It's now or never for Lionel Messi at the FIFA World Cup.
The Argentina talisman — widely considered by many to be football's undisputed GOAT — has already declared that this will be his last dance on the game's biggest stage.
He heads into Qatar 2022 with a glittering list of personal accolades, and trophies for club and country. But the World Cup still eludes the man who finally tasted international success with Argentina at the Copa America last year.
First up on his path to the final is a meeting with rank outsiders Saudi Arabia in the Group C opener at the Lusail Stadium on November 22. Here's all the details for how to watch the match in the USA.
MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)
What channel is Argentina vs Saudi Arabia on today?
Fans in the USA can watch Argentina take on Saudi Arabia on TV in English or Spanish. FS1 has the English-language rights, while Telemundo has the Spanish-language broadcasts.
All fans need to do is look up 'Fox' or 'Telemundo' on their cable, satellite, or telco operator.
If you can't do it on your remote control, further below is a website link to each of the major TV operators in the USA where fans can find the channel assignment.
World Cup matches on Tuesday, November 22
| Time | TV (English) | TV (Spanish) | Streaming | |
| Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia | 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT | FS1 | Telemundo | fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Peacock |
| Denmark vs. Tunisia | 8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT | FS1 | Telemundo | fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Peacock |
| Mexico vs. Poland | 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT | Fox | Telemundo | fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Peacock |
| France vs. Australia | 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT | Fox | Telemundo | fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Peacock |
How to watch the World Cup in the USA
- Dates: Sunday, Nov. 20-Sunday, Dec. 18
- English-language TV channels: Fox, FS1, FS2
- Spanish-language TV channels: Telemundo, Universo
- Streaming: fuboTV, Fox Sports app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo Now, Peacock Premium
The 2022 World Cup will be televised in the United States in English by Fox Sports and in Spanish by Telemundo.
For English-language coverage, Fox will spread the matches across its family of channels, including FS1 and FS2. For this tournament opening match, Fox's play-by-play coverage will feature their A-Team of John Strong and Stu Holden. Rules analysts Dr. Joe Machnik and Mark Clattenburg will be on hand to analyze refereeing decisions.
Other English-language play-by-play broadcast teams throughout the tournament include veteran JP Dellacamera paired with analyst Cobi Jones, Derek Rae paired with Aly Wagner, Ian Darke paired with Landon Donovan, and Warren Barton paired with Jacqui Oatley.
Meanwhile, Telemundo will be the home of all Spanish-language World Cup broadcasts in the United States. All Spanish-language World Cup match broadcasts can also be streamed on Peacock, which will air the first 12 matches of the tournament for free. Beginning Nov. 24, the remaining 52 will be available on Peacock Premium.
For Telemundo's Spanish-language coverage, the lead play-by-play broadcaster will be none other than the legendary Andres Cantor, covering his 12th World Cup. He will be partnered with former Mexican national team player Manuel Sol. Other play-by-play broadcasters for Telemundo coverage include Copan Alvarez, Sammy Sadovnik, and Jorge Calvo. They will all be partnered with analyst Eduardo Bsicayart, who will be covering his fifth World Cup.
What time do 2022 World Cup games start in the USA?
For the 2022 FIFA World Cup, all group stage matches will start in the United States at 5:00 am, 8:00 am, 11:00 am, or 2:00 pm Eastern Time. As Qatar is eight hours ahead of the USA east coast, and 11 hours ahead of the west coast, these were the time slots that worked the best.
The Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia match will kick off at 5 a.m. ET / 4 a.m. CT / 3 a.m. MT / 2 a.m. PT.
The first two days of the tournament featured one and three games respectively, and then every matchday will feature four games all the way through the conclusion of the group stage on December 2.
World Cup group stage kickoff times
| Time Zone | Slot 1 | Slot 2 | Slot 3 | Slot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 5:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. | 2:00 p.m. |
| Central | 4:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. | 1:00 p.m. |
| Mountain | 3:00 a.m. | 6:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
| Pacific | 2:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. |
For the knockout stage, all matches will kick off at one of two possible start times.
World Cup knockout stage kickoff times
| Time Zone | Slot 1 | Slot 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | 10:00 a.m. | 2:00 p.m. |
| Central | 9:00 a.m. | 1:00 p.m. |
| Mountain | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
| Pacific | 7:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. |
What channel is FS1 and Telemundo?
The Sporting News has compiled a list of popular cable, satellite and telco providers, with each company’s link to their channel finder.
In some cases they will ask for a zip code to provide local channel assignments, which are different from region to region.
| Cable/Satellite/Telco | Channel Finder |
| Breezeline (Cable) | Find Fox or Telemundo (Note: Input zip code for results) |
| Cox (Cable) | Find Fox or Telemundo (Note: Input zip code under “select a location” for results) |
| DirecTV (Satellite) | Find Fox or Telemundo (Note: Input zip code for results) |
| Dish (Satellite) | Fox (bt. Ch. 2 to 70), Telemundo (Ch. 835), FS1 (Ch. 150) Universo (Ch. 838) |
| Fios (Fiber) | Find Fox or Telemundo (Note: Input zip code for results) |
| Frontier (Fiber) | Find Fox or Telemundo |
| Mediacom (Cable) | Find Fox or Telemundo (Note: Input zip code for results) |
| Optimum (Cable) | Find Fox or Telemundo |
| Sparklight (Cable) | Find Fox or Telemundo (Note: Input zip code for results) |
| Spectrum (Cable) | Find Fox or Telemundo (Note: Input zip code for results) |
| U-Verse (Fiber) | Fox (bt. Ch. 2 to 69), Telemundo (Ch. 3007), FS1 (Ch. 652) Universo (Ch. 3009) |
| Xfinity (Cable) | Find Fox or Telemundo(Note: Input zip code for results) |
What channel is the World Cup on DirecTV
DirecTV will have every 2022 World Cup match since Fox, FS1, Telemundo, and Universo are all carried by the satellite company.
There are specific channel assignments for different areas which can be found by inputting a zip code on the official DirecTV channel finder page which is found here.
What channel is the World Cup on Spectrum?
The four TV channels carrying live World Cup matches in the USA are all available on Spectrum.
The cable company has an online channel finder for users, and all it needs is a zip code to provide the specific channel assignments for Fox, FS1, Telemundo, or Universo.
World Cup channel on Fios
Fox, FS1, Telemundo, Universo are all carried on Verizon Fios, but the specific channel listing depends on the area.
Fios provides a channel finder and lineup online, and it requires fans to input their zip code.
