One Month to Go! SBS Reveals Expansive FIFA World Cup 2026™ Lineup – With one month to go, SBS is set to deliver a FIFA World Cup 2026™ experience that goes well beyond the football pitch, with a bold slate of original programming spanning entertainment, documentary, food and culture.
Launching from Thursday 11 June, the line-up continues throughout the tournament, across SBS, SBS on Demand, SBS Sport YouTube and SBS Audio.
Led by some of Australia’s most recognisable talent, including Anthony LaPaglia, Adam Liaw, Marc Fennell and World Cup fan favourites Santo Cilauro and Ed Kavalee, SBS’s line-up celebrates the unique power of the FIFA World Cup™ to connect people around the world and right here at home. From live nightly entertainment and football-fuelled quiz specials to powerful cultural storytelling and culinary journeys across host nations, this is SBS’s most ambitious World Cup offering yet, inviting Australians to watch, explore and celebrate the tournament in new and unexpected ways.
A COMPLETE WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE ACROSS SBS
Complementing SBS’s exclusive FIFA World Cup 2026™ coverage, the curated line-up engages Australians throughout the tournament and beyond.
Cup Fever! (Vodcast)
From Friday 12 June, nightly on SBS on Demand and SBS Sport YouTube. Encore screenings on SBS VICELAND. Streaming every night throughout the FIFA World Cup 2026, Cup Fever! c is a comedy-first, companion to the biggest sporting event on the planet.
Hosted by football tragics, Santo Cilauro and Ed Kavalee, the vodcast series serves up a nightly recap of the World Cup’s most memorable moments as the two unpack the day’s biggest stories, unexpected heroes, heartbreaking misses and highly questionable haircuts.
Produced by the team at Working Dog Productions and filmed in front of a live studio audience, each half-hour episode also features a lineup of football identities, leading comedians, and emerging talent who are all studying VAR technology in the lead-up to the tournament.
Wogball: Australia’s Beautiful Game
Wednesday 24 June on SBS on Demand Presented by Australian Hollywood heavyweight and football-mad Anthony LaPaglia, Wogball: Australia’s Beautiful Game is the story of how football has become one of the national success stories of modern Australia. It’s a wild ride, full of unexpected stories, surprising revelations and moments of unfettered joy. It’s a story of resilience about a code that overcame institutionalised racism (during the era of the White Australia Policy), media animosity and hostile competing codes to become the game that best represents who we really are as a nation.
Joining LaPaglia, who played professionally before realising he would never fulfill his dreams and turned to the stage, are sport heroes, comedians, football enthusiasts and experts including Vince Colosimo, Craig Foster, Matt Okine, John Safran, Mel Buttle, Craig Johnston, Servet Uzunlar, Moya Dodd and Melissa Barbieri. It is a surprisingly emotional story about passion and family and how football grew into something bigger than the game itself. It’s nostalgic, warm, playful, a little contentious and the perfect warm up to the 2026 World Cup.
Wogball: Australia’s Beautiful Game is a CJZ production (People vs Robodebt and Go Back to Where You Came From) for the SBS. Principal production funding from Screen Australia and SBS. Financed with support from Screen NSW. Local distribution by SBS. International sales by Cordell Jigsaw Distribution. Director; Damian Davis. Producer; Nick Price.
Adam Liaw’s North American Fan Feasts
From Monday 6 July on SBS and SBS on Demand In this brand new six-part series, Adam Liaw embarks on a fun, flavour-filled journey across North America’s FIFA World Cup™ host nations, discovering where sport and food collide at the heart of the world’s greatest tournament. With episodes spanning Canada, Mexico and the United States, Adam reveals how fans express their passion not just through team colours, but through the flavours they share and celebrates how food, sport and culture unite communities and shape national identity.
From street-side tacos in Mexico City, to seafood in San Francisco and fan culture in Vancouver, each episode shares local stories and signature dishes, alongside two recipes prepared by Adam, which viewers can recreate at home. Produced by i8 Studio exclusively for SBS. Adam Liaw’s North American Fan Feasts is a joyful celebration of people, pride and the dishes that bring them together.
Mastermind – World Cup Special
Thursday June 11 on SBS and SBS on Demand Mastermind returns with a special World Cup takeover episode, hosted by Marc Fennell, bringing sport, suspense and specialist knowledge together for a football-themed night of competition ahead of the tournament kick-off. Four football fanatics go head-to-head on World Cup-themed subjects, from legendary players to unforgettable eras and historic moments, in a high-pressure battle that tests their knowledge, composure and pure love of the game. Produced by BBC Studios Australia.
The Greatest Show on Earth (Vodcast)
Available now on SBS VICELAND, SBS on Demand and SBS Sport YouTube In this 12-part vodcast series, SBS football broadcasters Claudio Fabiano and Adamo De Nigris take a deep dive into each of the 12 four-team Groups that will make up the Group stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026™, with special guests including former international players Mitch Duke, Alex Brosque, Juan Mata and current Iraq head coach Graham Arnold. The first two episodes, Group A and Group B, are already available on SBS On Demand and the SBS Sport YouTube channel, with further episodes rolling out each Wednesday until the tournament starts on June 12 (AEDT).
Beautiful Game Changers
From Friday 15 May on SBS VICELAND and SBS on Demand SBS Audio has created this flagship series of 12 mini-documentaries celebrating the power of football to bring people together across cultures, communities and generations. Each episode spotlights an individual who uses the game to drive social cohesion, create a sense of belonging, and open pathways for others. Among the themes explored are Indigenous representation, women’s participation, refugee resilience, multicultural clubs, international student networks and LGBTQIA+ inclusion.
As well as featuring on SBS On Demand and SBS VICELAND, the series will be shared across SBS Australia’s social media platforms.
Route 26 (Podcast)
Available now on SBS Audio This ten-episode road trip to the FIFA World Cup™ speaks to extraordinary football lovers about their personal journeys and the World Cup moments that changed their lives. Hosted by Paolo Gallo – football coach, audio producer and football fanatic – this is more than just a podcast, this is where your 2026 World Cup journey begins.
The World Cup, But Not Really (Podcast) From Tuesday 12 May on SBS Audio
Launching today, The World Cup, But Not Really is a 14-episode celebration of everything football touches, and everything it usually leaves out. It’s about the songs, superstitions, emotions, love stories, weird statistics and perspectives, and the noise that surrounds the game. No tactics, no pundits, just odd facts and real human stories relating to the world’s biggest shared event. Whether you live for the game or can’t stand it, this is the World Cup like you’ve never heard it.
SBS Kick Off (Music Station)
From Monday 1 June to Friday 31 July on SBS Audio and SBS On Demand Celebrate the world game with SBS Kick Off — a high-energy pop-up music station packed with famous football songs, iconic anthems and the stadium singalongs heard around the globe. It’s the ultimate soundtrack to get fans pumped for the next game.
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SBS News and SBS Audio will also broadcast daily FIFA World Cup 2026™ news podcasts during the tournament.
Kathryn Fink, SBS Head of Television, said:
“The FIFA World Cup™ is one of the world’s most powerful shared experiences, and SBS is uniquely placed to tell those stories. Our accompanying line-up brings together some of Australia’s most recognisable talent to give audiences more ways to connect with the tournament than ever before.”
David Hua, SBS Director of Audio and Language Content, said:
“SBS and our multicultural communities have popularised football in Australia over the last 40 years, to the extent that the FIFA World Cup™ is now one of the events that brings Australians together. SBS Audio broadcasts in 60-plus languages, but our audience all speak football, so we want to celebrate the deeper cultural connections created by the World Cup, which go well beyond rivalries and match day moments.
As well as covering every thrilling moment of the tournament, we’re going to Australia’s football heartland to find extraordinary stories from lovers of the world game and shine a light on the role that football plays in building communities.”
All shows will stream across SBS TV, Digital and Audio channels during SBS’s exclusive broadcast of the FIFA World Cup 2026™
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ kicks off on June 12 (AEST) and runs until July 20, with all 104 games live and free on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand with full replays, mini matches and highlights available throughout the tournament.
Media Release – SBS
Link to SBS on Demand HERE
TV Central Football content HERE
One Month to Go! SBS Reveals Expansive FIFA World Cup 2026™ Lineup
