The Ultimate World Cup Experience

Watch the world’s best footballers (and also Panama) like you’ve never seen them before: in glorious 4K. Here are the amazing TVs, soundbars and accessories you need for a world-class summer of sport.

- Matt Bolton

How to watch in 4K

For the first time ever, the BBC will be broadcasting its World Cup games in glorious Ultra HD and HDR over iPlayer. Here’s how you can get in on the action…

In 2018, for the first time ever, the FIFA World Cup will be available in glorious 4K and HDR, and UK viewers will be able to watch up to 29 games in Ultra HD, courtesy of a trial being run by the BBC. Of the 33 games the broadcaster is showing, 29 of them will have an Ultra HD option on iPlayer – but, there is a wrinkle...

Because the technology behind it is still being trialled, only a limited number of viewers will actually be able to watch in 4K HDR. It will be in the tens of thousands, on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, so you’ll need to be quick off the mark if you want to watch the two England group games the Beeb is showing (it also potentially has an England quarter-final, but let’s not get cocky).

To get into the 4K stream you will need a compatible telly, for a start. The full list wasn’t revealed at the time of going to press, but will be available on the iPlayer help pages (bbc.co.uk/ iplayer/help) by the time you read this. A simpler way of telling will probably be that all 2017 and 2018 Freeview Play devices should support the stream (they supported the earlier tests). That still wasn’t confirmed at the time of writing, though.

To be one of the lucky ones and start streaming, keep your eye on iPlayer when the game is due to start. If BBC One coverage begins at 1 pm, look on the iPlayer menu then. The button you choose for the programme should be labelled ‘UHD’. Select that and you’re in. If you don’t squeeze into the 4K pool, you’ll get the standard high definition feed.