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World Cup 2022: How to watch the World Cup finals, wherever you are

It’s that time again – the nations of the world will meet at the 2022 FIFA World Cup to decide football’s world champions. If you’re anything like us, you’re already planning your viewing schedule.

Published: 18 November 2022 08:14 CET
World Cup 2022: How to watch the World Cup finals, wherever you are
Clash in Qatar: Five billion people are estimated to watch the World Cup final. Photo: Getty Images

From Sunday, 20 November until Sunday, 18 December, 32 qualifying teams will meet in Qatar and play games across five cities. The final will take place at Lusail Stadium on 18 December, in front of an estimated worldwide audience of five billion – two billion more than the 2018 final!

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of the World Cup to get people to come together. Gathering around the TV with friends, drinks and snacks in hand, wearing your country’s colours with pride. Each game is 90-plus minutes of drama, tension and hopefully elation as goals are sunk into the back of the net.

It gets even better if you can access match broadcasts from your home country. Your favourite commentators can provide the colour and detail that broadcasters in other countries simply can’t match. Many of these broadcasts such as BBC iPlayer and ITV (UK) are even free!

Thankfully, in 2022 we have a simple solution to access your preferred World Cup broadcaster – the VPN. 

SPONSORED: How to watch the World Cup finals, wherever you are

What is a VPN? 

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a piece of software that is able to change your IP address – essentially, your location on the internet. 

This is important, because due to legal agreements, many broadcasters restrict access to those within a certain geographical region.  

In changing your IP address to one within a specified region, you can bypass these ‘region locks’, as they’re known, and stream video or other media as if you were there. 

Sounds illegal – is it? 

Not at all. There are no laws that forbid the use of a VPN to access streaming media in a different country. 

Indeed, VPNs are big business, with a projected worth of 77 billion USD by 2026. This is because in addition to changing your IP address, VPNs also encrypt your data, providing an additional layer of security, necessary for many environments. 

VPNs are definitely here to stay, and have become a very useful tool for both business and recreational viewing. 

How do I use a VPN?

To use a VPN, set up an account with a provider, like ExpressVPN, and download their app to your mobile device or desktop.

Then, with a click of a button, simply choose the region you want to access content from.

For example, if you want to watch English coverage of the World Cup, select a server located in the UK, click, and voila – you can access BBC iPlayer or ITV’s online broadcasts.

Now you can start streaming the games!

Watch the World Cup – Sign up with ExpressVPN now and get a 30-day money-back guarantee plus 3 extra months FREE

VPNs work across all of your devices to access content in different parts of the world. Photo: ExpressVPN

How much should I expect to pay for a VPN?

The vast majority of VPN providers offer very reasonable rates to use their services and certainly less than many streaming services. 

ExpressVPN, for example, has a sliding scale – €12.46 for one month, €9.61 per month for a six month plan, and €6.39 for a 12 month plan. The longer your plan, the more you save, and readers of The Local can get the exclusive offer of 3 extra months free on a 12 months subscription.

Many providers, including ExpressVPN, offer money-back guarantees, so if you aren’t completely satisfied with your service within a specified period – usually a month – you can get your money back. 

So where can I watch the games? 

Each country has different broadcasters who have the right to televise games. Many are broadcasting matches free-to-air via a streaming portal, but some do require a paid subscription. 

UK – FREE to air through BBC iPlayer and ITV.
Australia – FREE to air through SBS On Demand.
Ireland – FREE to air through RTE.
USA – Subscription via FOX, Telemundo & Peacock.
Canada – Subscription through Bell Media.
Germany – FREE to air through ZDF and ARD, and subscription via MagentaTV.
France – FREE to air through TFI, and subscription via BeIN Sports.
Italy – FREE to air through RAI.
Netherlands – FREE to air through NOS.
Portugal – FREE to air through RTP.
Sweden – FREE to air through SVT and 4.
Belgium – FREE to air through RTBF (for French-speakers) and VRT (For Dutch speakers).
Denmark – FREE to air through DR, and subscription via DRTV2.

Will I need any other specialist equipment to watch the games? 

Not at all! You can either connect your laptop to your TV via a HDMI cable, or cast media to your television from your mobile device. Then it’s time to get your friends together, sit back, and enjoy the world’s best teams battling it out in the beautiful game!

Sign up for ExpressVPN now to enjoy 3 extra months FREE in their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale. Enjoy every World Cup game and all your favourite shows from home!

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LIVING IN NORWAY

Five places to find a sense of community in Norway 

One of the easiest ways to adjust to life in another country is to feel a sense of belonging, either by feeling part of the wider community or carving out your own path. 

Published: 22 April 2024 16:16 CEST
Five places to find a sense of community in Norway 

While plenty of factors, such as work-life balance, access to nature, and the country’s great potential for child raising, make it attractive, foreigners in Norway find it a difficult place to settle. 

In previous surveys among foreign residents, internationals in Norway have said that the culture and difficulty making friends made Norway a hard place to settle. 

Finding a sense of community and belonging can help people feel settled and at home. 

Even if you need to fit in more places, there will likely be somewhere in Norway where you can embed yourself into a community. 

Start with your neighbourhood or local area  

This may not be possible everywhere, and not everyone is guaranteed a great relationship with their neighbours. 

However, life in the big cities in Norway could be set up for strong micro-communities. This is because many apartment blocks are arranged into housing associations. 

These business-like entities allow the residents to get involved with the running of the community. You could contribute by joining the board, or you may wish to get involved with dugnad (voluntary work) in the spring and autumn. 

There may also be seasonal parties and meetups organised by the neighbours.

READ ALSO: Seven ways you will accidentally annoy your Norwegian neighbours

Volunteering 

Giving back to your local community can definitely make it feel like you are an important building block. 

Norway has around 100,000 volunteer organisations that offer several opportunities to get involved and help others. 

From coaching kids’ sports teams to helping other immigrants integrate, there are hundreds of ways to go about volunteering. 

There are a number of places where you can find some volunteering work, such as Frivillighet Norge, Norges Frivilligsentraler, and Frivillig.no. 

READ ALSO: How can I find volunteer work in Norway?

Sports, old and new 

One of the best ways to feel involved in something is to be part of a team. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to get involved with sports in Norway. 

If you live in the big cities, there are plenty of ways to pick up a new sport, keep a lifelong passion going, or pick up the baton after a few years off. 

Oslo, for example, has facilities for sports of all types, from rock climbing to cricket. There are also plenty of chances to get involved in a number of sports just beginning to take off in Norway, such as padel, pickleball, or racketlon. 

There’s much more than just racquet sports too, it’s simply a case of looking for something that suits your fancy. If there is a sport from where you are from that you miss, you likely aren’t the only one, so be sure to check if there is an equivalent close to you. 

Many of these sports will have an associated club, meaning there will be several social opportunities to gather. 

Not all sports require you to be an athlete, either. There are plenty that require a degree of skill, but are also inclusive, such as the game cornhole. 

Hobbies 

It’s not just being part of a sports team that can help you get close to others over a shared interest. 

There are also plenty of opportunities to get to know people and feel a part of something while enjoying your hobbies. If it’s gardening, consider an allotment, cars or bikes, and you could join a motor club. 

If you speak a language other than English, you could consider a language café. From there, you could consider sharing your language with others in a community full of people interested in other languages and cultures. 

Foreign resident groups 

Sometimes, the community you might be missing has more to do with where you have left than it has to do with where you are. 

In that regard, it might be nice to surround yourself with people from a similar part of the world. Thanks to social media, there are groups for pretty much everyone in Norway, as well as groups for new residents or foreign residents, more generally. 

These groups will typically act as support networks where people can ask questions, rant, arrange meetups and generally support one another. 

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