The end of the line for World Cup 2022 hopefuls? By the time Spain vs Japan is over on December 1, we'll know for sure which of these teams will be making it through to the knockout rounds of the quadrennial football tournament.
Spain vs Japan marks the last game of the group stage for both teams, with their group mates playing at the same time — we have a guide on how to watch the Germany vs Costa Rica game too.
One of Spain or Japan will definitely be making it into the next stage, but it's possible both will depend on how the games pan out.
If you're interested in watching the conclusion to this first stage of the World Cup 2022, you'll find it pretty easy to do, wherever you are in the world. This guide will talk you through your streaming and broadcast options.
How to watch Spain vs Japan in the US
Kick-off time for the Spain vs Japan game is 2 pm ET/11 am PT.
Fox is airing the game, and it'll be available to watch on its self-titled channel, so if your cable package includes this then you're golden.
If not, then many live TV streaming services offer Fox channels too. The most affordable option is Sling TV, as its $40-per-month Blue plan includes Fox and Fox Sports 1 which, between them, are airing all the World Cup games (plus, your first month of Sling is half price).
Other options include FuboTV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV, as well as foxsports.com.
Hispanophones will also find Peacock a suitable option as subscribers to its Premium plan ($4.99 per month) can access simulcasts from Telemundo, with Spanish-language commentary.
How to watch Spain vs Japan in the UK
In the UK, kick-off is at 7 pm GMT.
Japan vs Spain is playing on ITV 1, which makes it pretty easy to watch for most people. If you don't have a set but do have an internet connection, ITVX lets you stream live TV online, and we've got a guide on how to do that here.
How to watch Spain vs Japan from anywhere
If you're going to be away from home but still want to watch the Spain vs Japan game, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you'll be able to solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (a VPN).
A VPN lets you get around the usual digital barriers by changing your IP address, meaning you can watch your favorite TV shows even if you're going to be away from where you would normally watch your favorite shows and movies. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
Spain vs Japan: important information
When does Spain vs Japan kick off?
Spain vs Japan kicks off at 2 pm ET/11 am PT/7 pm GMT.
That's the exact same time as Germany vs Costa Rica plays, so you'll need two screens (or browser tabs) to watch both at once.
Where does Spain vs Japan take place?
Spain vs Japan takes place at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
This 45,000-seater stadium is the home of the Qatari football team, and is one of the few arenas being used for the World Cup that wasn't actually built especially for the tournament.
What you need to know about the match
Japan surprised everyone in its first game of the tournament, beating footie heavyweights Germany by 2 goals to 1. Admittedly it then lost to Costa Rica, whom Spain has just beat 7-0, but the early victory still put Japan as the group E runner-up.
Spain is another solid football team, and its aforementioned 7-goal victory over Costa Rica, as well as its draw with Germany in tis second game, means it's second-place in its group.
If Japan loses this game, it's out of the tournament. If the match is a draw, it's possible that the team will still go ahead, but that'll be dictated by the results of the Germany vs Costa Rica game that happens at the same time. A win will see it through the finish line though.
Spain has an easier time of things as if it wins or draws, it's straight through — even if it loses, it still could proceed as long as Costa Rica doesn't win its game (technically a German win could also boot Spain out, but it'd need to score 8 more goals than Spain conceded to overturn a massive goal deficit).
Given how tumultuous this group has been we can't quite predict which of the four teams will progress to the knockout round — even Germany, which hasn't won a game yet, could pull ahead with a great performance in its next game.
