Emirates will screen every match of the FIFA World Cup 26 live onboard its flights, the Dubai-based airline announced on June 11, with coverage carried on Sport 24, the dedicated live sports channel on its ice inflight entertainment system, from the opening ceremony in Mexico through to the final in the United States on July 19.
The 2026 edition is the largest World Cup ever staged — 48 teams and 104 matches spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico — and ranks among the most watched sporting events in the world. For fans in the air during key fixtures, Emirates says the full schedule of matches will be offered onboard, letting passengers follow the action live at 40,000 feet rather than landing to a final score.
To help travellers plan their viewing around kickoff times, the complete World Cup broadcast schedule is published in the June edition of the airline’s ice magazine.
Live TV, including Sport 24 and its sister channel Sport 24 Extra, is available on most Emirates flights, though the airline notes that availability varies by aircraft type and route. On the ground, matches will also be screened where possible in the Emirates Lounges in Dubai.
Delivering live television to a moving aircraft remains one of the more demanding feats in inflight entertainment, relying on satellite feeds that can hold a broadcast steady across oceans and time zones. Live sport, where a 30-second delay can spoil a goal, is the use case that pushes that infrastructure hardest — and the one airlines most like to advertise.
Football is not the only live sport on the schedule. Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra are screening the NBA Finals through June 20, while the Canada Sail Grand Prix will be broadcast live from Halifax Harbour in Nova Scotia on June 20 and 21. Formula 1 fans are covered later in the summer, with the Belgian Grand Prix on July 19 — the same day as the World Cup final — and the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26.
The World Cup push underlines how long-haul carriers increasingly treat inflight entertainment and connectivity as competitive territory rather than an afterthought. Emirates has long leaned on its ice system as a selling point, and a month-long global tournament — with fans criss-crossing continents to follow their teams — is as strong a showcase for live TV at altitude as the industry gets.
