Let me save you twenty minutes of confused googling, because I did the confused googling for you. The World Cup starts on June 11 (June 12 here, naturally, because we live in the future), and for the first time in my years in this country, watching it in New Zealand is actually simple. And mostly free.

The short version

TVNZ has the rights. All of them. Not Sky. I will repeat that because half the country still has not absorbed it: there is no World Cup on Sky Sport this time. If you are paying for Sky Sport Now hoping to watch Chris Wood lead out the All Whites, cancel your plans, because you will be watching a black screen.

Here is what you get without paying a single dollar: every All Whites group game live on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ+, the final, and around 22 matches free in total across the tournament, with another batch of group stage and Round of 32 games streaming free on TVNZ+. For a country that usually treats football fans like an afterthought, this is a small miracle.

The Event Pass: should you pay?

If you want all 104 matches (and there are 104 now, this tournament is enormous), TVNZ+ sells a one-off FIFA World Cup Event Pass for NZ$44.95. One payment, every match, live and on demand.

My honest opinion: if you are the kind of person who only watches the All Whites and the final, keep your money, it is all free. But if you are like me, if you want Argentina at 5am, if you want to see Uruguay against Spain, if you want every minute of the group stage chaos that only a 48-team World Cup can produce, then $44.95 for a whole World Cup is the cheapest ticket in football. That is less than one month of most streaming services, and infinitely more important.

The kick-off times are a gift

This is the part nobody is talking about enough. Because the All Whites play all three group games on the west coast of North America, the kick-offs land in the New Zealand afternoon. Iran on June 16 at 1pm NZT. Egypt on June 22 at 1pm NZT. Belgium on June 27 at 3pm NZT.

Read that again. A World Cup where you can watch your national team with lunch instead of setting an alarm for 3am. In South America we used to organise our whole lives around World Cup kick-off times. You people get to organise nothing. Just turn on the TV. You don’t know how lucky you are.

Watching at the pub

One quirk: pubs, clubs and venues get the tournament through a special Sky arrangement with TVNZ, with a dedicated pop-up channel for commercial venues. So yes, your local will have it on. If your local does not have it on, find a better local. A pub that does not show the World Cup is just a restaurant with worse food.

Quick answers

Is the World Cup free in NZ? The All Whites games, the final, and 20-plus other matches, yes. Everything else needs the $44.95 Event Pass on TVNZ+.

Is it on Sky Sport? No. Only commercial venues get it through Sky.

Do I need to get up at 3am? For the All Whites, no. For some other games, yes, and honestly, those 3am games are where the best memories live. Make a thermos. Trust me, I have been doing this my whole life.

I will be covering every All Whites match here, in English and in Spanish, from the edge of the world. Bookmark this place. Vamos.