How to Watch Senegal at the 2026 World Cup
Updated 19 June 2026- Watch Lions of Teranga with home commentary from anywhere
- Free home-broadcaster coverage where available
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The best way to watch Senegal at the 2026 World Cup with home commentary is RTS, which carries free-to-air coverage of the Lions of Teranga's matches in Senegal, sublicensed from rights-holder New World TV. RTS streams free online via rts.sn, with full tournament access (Wolof, French and more) via New World TV's paid platform. Outside Senegal those free streams are geo-blocked, so diaspora fans get the host-country English or Spanish feed instead. Connect a VPN to a Senegal server, open RTS, and the home broadcast unlocks as if you were in Dakar.
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Senegal's home broadcaster: RTS and New World TV
Pan-African broadcaster New World TV (NWTV) is the exclusive rights-holder for the 2026 FIFA World Cup across sub-Saharan Africa, including Senegal. NWTV carries the full tournament on its pay platform with commentary in French, English and local languages such as Wolof. Crucially, NWTV also sublicenses free-to-air rights for a subset of matches (around 34, roughly one per day) to national channels. In Senegal that free-to-air coverage runs on public broadcaster RTS (RTS1), so the Lions of Teranga's Group I games against France, Norway and Iraq are available free to air. RTS streams online via its official app and platforms, while NWTV is the route to every remaining match.
Watching Senegal from abroad
Watching from France
France hosts the largest Senegalese diaspora, and France is also Senegal's opening opponent (June 16). On French TV the 2026 World Cup is split between free-to-air M6 (and its M6+ platform), which shows 54 matches including all France games, and subscription beIN Sports, which carries all 104. That gets you the French feed, but not RTS's Senegal-focused coverage or Wolof commentary. To restore the home broadcast, connect a VPN to a Senegal server and open RTS as you would in Dakar. Note the clocks: Senegal (UTC+0) is two hours behind Central European Summer Time, so a 21:00 kick-off in Paris is 19:00 in Senegal.
Watching from Italy
Italy has a long-established Senegalese community, especially across the north. The 2026 World Cup there runs on free-to-air RAI, which shows 35 matches (including the opener, semi-finals and final) with streaming on RaiPlay, while DAZN streams all 104 by subscription. Italian or Spanish-leaning coverage is fine for the score, but for RTS's Senegal coverage and Wolof commentary, connect a VPN to a Senegal server and load RTS. Timing matches France: Senegal (UTC+0) is two hours behind Italy's summer time (CEST, UTC+2), so an evening kick-off shown in Rome lands two hours earlier on the clock in Dakar.
Watching from the United States (host nation)
Many Senegalese-Americans are watching from the host country itself, where two of the three group games are played (France-Senegal and Senegal-Norway in East Rutherford). US coverage is Fox and FS1 in English plus Telemundo, Universo and Peacock in Spanish, all of which carry Senegal's matches. To swap that for RTS's home feed and Wolof commentary, connect a VPN to a Senegal server and open RTS. On timing, Senegal (UTC+0) is four hours ahead of US Eastern (EDT, UTC-4), so a 3 p.m. ET kick-off in New York is 7 p.m. in Dakar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which VPN works best for watching Senegal's matches?
You want a VPN that offers a Senegal (or West Africa) server location and is fast and stable enough for live HD sport. Senegal is a smaller market, so coverage varies: top-tier providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Surfshark advertise West African or Senegal (virtual) server locations that route you to a Senegalese IP address, which is what RTS checks. Pick a provider with a money-back guarantee, connect to the Senegal location, then open RTS or New World TV. If one server is slow, switch to another nearby node and refresh the stream.
Can I watch Senegal's World Cup matches for free?
Yes, within Senegal. Rights-holder New World TV sublicenses free-to-air coverage of a subset of matches (around 34, roughly one per day) to national channels, and in Senegal that runs on public broadcaster RTS, including the Lions of Teranga's group games. RTS streams free via its official app and platforms. Outside Senegal those free streams are geo-blocked. A VPN connected to a Senegal server lets you reach RTS's free-to-air coverage from abroad. For matches not on RTS's free slate, New World TV's pay platform carries the full tournament.
Why use a VPN instead of just watching my local broadcaster?
Local broadcasters give you the host-country commentary, not Senegal's. From France you get M6's French feed, from Italy RAI's Italian one, and from the US Fox in English or Telemundo in Spanish, none with Wolof commentary or RTS's Senegal-focused build-up and punditry. A VPN to a Senegal server makes RTS think you are at home, so you get the same broadcast, language and atmosphere fans in Dakar are watching, often free to air for the Lions' matches.
Is it legal to use a VPN to watch RTS from abroad?
Using a VPN is legal in Senegal and in the major diaspora host countries (France, Italy, the US). A VPN is a standard privacy tool. Accessing a streaming service from outside its region can break that platform's terms of service, even though it is not a criminal matter, so use a reputable paid VPN for reliability. If you hold a valid RTS or New World TV account or are simply accessing free-to-air coverage, a VPN to a Senegal server is the practical way to keep watching the home broadcast while you travel.