Spain vs Costa Rica live stream and match preview, Wednesday 23 November, 4pm GMT
Spain vs Costa Rica live stream and match preview
Looking for a Spain vs Costa Rica live stream? We have what you need. Spain vs Costa Rica is free on ITV Hub in the UK. British Abroad? Use a VPN to watch the 2022 World Cup for free (opens in a new tab) everywhere.
With such a small margin of error in the group stage, the importance of getting off to a good start cannot be overstated. This is especially true for Spain, who face a tough encounter against a rejuvenated Germany in their second game.
Luis Enrique’s side are favorites to win Group E and are set to assert their dominance in their opener against Costa Rica.
Los Ticos memorably reached the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup and they still have several veterans of that campaign to call on, including Keylor Navas, Joel Campbell and captain Bryan Ruiz.
Kick-off is at 4:00 p.m. GMT. Make sure you know how to watch the 2022 World Cup wherever you are.
Team News
After being named in the original squad, Valencia left-back Jose Gaya was forced out through injury to be replaced by Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde.
Costa Rica are injury-free ahead of their opener and are likely to field a squad full of experience.
Form
Spain struggled to score goals at times, but lost just one of their eight group matches finishing top ahead of Sweden.
Costa Rica had to rely on winning against New Zealand in the play-offs, courtesy of Joel Campbell’s opening goal, to reach the World Cup after finishing fifth in the CONCACAF third qualifying round.
Arbitrator
Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed of the United Arab Emirates will be the referee for Spain against Costa Rica. You can find out more about the 2022 World Cup referees here.
Stadium
Spain vs Costa Rica will be played at the 40,000 seater Al Thumana Stadium in Doha. Take a look at all the 2022 World Cup stadiums and see how they rank.
Players to watch / key battles
Much of Spain’s hopes rest on midfield duo Gavi and Pedri. The Barcelona teenagers combine excellent awareness, vision and technical ability, which has put them on par with conquerors Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
As La Roja look to dominate and play on the front foot, Costa Rica will rely on their defense to stay in the game. Acrobat Keylor Navas, who has won multiple accolades with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, will need to be in top form.
Learn more about Spain and Costa Rica’s full squads for the 2022 World Cup.
Group E Table
| Crew | P | O | L | D | Points |
| Costa Rica | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Germany | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Japan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kick off and chain
Spain kick off against Costa Rica 4:00 p.m. GMT on Wednesday, November 23 United Kingdom. The game is free to watch on ITV 1 and ITV Hub.
In the United States, kick-off time is 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT. The match will be broadcast on FOX/FS1 in the United States. See below for international streaming options.
VPN guide
If you’re out of the country for the 2022 World Cup, you won’t be able to watch on your domestic streaming service as usual. The broadcaster knows where you are thanks to your IP address (boo!) and prevents you from watching it. You can, however, use a VPN to circumvent this, without resorting to the illegal streams you found on Reddit.
A virtual private network (VPN), assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s terms and conditions, creates a private connection between your device and the internet, which means the service cannot determine where you are and will allow you to watch. And all information exchanged is fully encrypted, anonymous and safe – and that’s a result.
There are plenty of good value for money options. For the 2022 World Cup, FourFourTwo currently recommends:
World Cup 2022 International TV Rights
UK
All games in the UK are either on the BBC or on ITV.
UNITED STATES
Fox is the rights holder for the World Cup in the United States. Games are on Fox or FS1 cable channels.
If you don’t have cable, you can use services like Sling and FuboTV to get Fox channels. You can also watch the matches on Peacock TV with Spanish commentary.
Canada
TSN shows every game. You can subscribe to direct streaming or get it as part of your cable package.
- TSN (opens in a new tab) ($19.99/month or $199.90/year)
Australia
As in the UK, coverage of the 2022 World Cup is completely free. You can watch all 64 games on the SBS TV channel and stream them online as well with SBS On Demand.
New Zealand
Paying provider Sky Sports is the rights holder for the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand. You can watch as part of your Sky subscription or grab a Sky Now TV pass. There is also a 7-day free trial.
