The 2026 World Cup is only a few weeks away, so if you’re thinking of upgrading your home setup, now is the time. With new 2026 TVs appearing in stores now, 2025’s models are at some of their cheapest prices, meaning you can grab a real bargain.
But, while you may be looking at a new TV or a new soundbar, I’ve come up with a few TV/soundbar combos in case you’re looking to overhaul your whole home setup.
Setup 1: Budget bang-for-buck
TV: TCL QM6K/C6K
The TCL QM6K, known as the TCL C6K in the UK, is a budget gem. It uses a mini-LED panel that delivers punchy colors, strong contrast with deep black levels and solid brightness all for an affordable price.
With a measured HDR fullscreen brightness of 594 nits in Standard mode for the QM6K and 706 nits in the same mode on the C6K, these TVs are more than bright enough to handle daytime viewing without distracting reflections. With games played at various times throughout the day in the World Cup, this is crucial.
The QM6K/C6K also make for great gaming TVs when you’re not watching the World Cup. They support 4K 144Hz, FreeSync Premium, Dolby Vision gaming and ALLM: an excellent suite of features for a TV this price.
The QM6K/C6K’s best feature is its price. A 65-inch model will cost $699 / £649 respectively, which is a bargain for what you’re getting. This is easily the best option for the budget conscious.
Soundbar: Sony HT-S150F
The Sony HT-SF150, know as the Sony HT-S100F in the US and Australia, is our current pick for the best super-cheap soundbar on our best soundbars list. Why? Because it delivers impressive depth, clear speech and decent power and bass for a very low price: $99 / £99 / AU$199.
It also has a decent feature set including Bluetooth support for music streaming, an elegant design and easy setup and use: all big positives for a budget soundbar.
While it isn’t the most sonically diverse soundbar, it’s superb value and will really help add another level to your World Cup experience by boosting commentary and crowd noise more than your TV’s speakers would.
Setup 2: The step-up option
TV: Hisense U8Q
The Hisense U8QG is an excellent-value mini-LED TV. It produces rich colors and powerful contras,t and has a strong feature set including both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, plus 4K 165Hz and VRR for gaming.
The U8Q also produces super-high brightness for a TV at this price point. A measured 3,337 nits and 2,888 nits peak HDR brightness in Filmmaker Mode and Standard respectively really help highlights pop on screen as well as producing strong perceived contrast.
With 744 nits HDR fullscreen brightness and even 600 nits of SDR fullscreen brightness, the U8Q is more than capable of handling bright rooms — perfect for daytime World Cup games.
At $999 / £1,299 / AU$1,599 for a 65-inch model, the U8Q is fantastic value for the performance it delivers and the features it comes with. If you’re looking for a substantial upgrade at a fair price, this is top-notch value.
Soundbar: Sonos Beam (Gen 2)
The Sonos Beam (Gen 2) may be a few years old now, but it’s still one of the best all-in-one, mid-range soundbars you can get. It delivers spacious, punchy sound quality with plenty of detail. This compact soundbar is mightier than it looks.
Not only does it tick the boxes for movies, but it’s fantastic for music too. It delivers the same detail it does for movies, offering a layered sound with strong, well-controlled bass, clear highs and natural sounding mid-tones.
The Beam also supports hi-res audio and Dolby Atmos, as well as Wi-Fi streaming support for better sound quality. At its usual $499 / £449 / AU$799 price tag it’s a great value soundbar that will give any World Cup game an extra dimension — and occasionally it gets nice deals, too. It’s great in its own right, but can be expanded with a subwoofer and rear speakers too for a fuller experience.
Setup 3: The premium option
TV: Samsung QN90F
The Samsung QN90F really is the perfect for TV for sport. Not only does it deliver high brightness thanks to its mini-LED panel, but it comes equipped with a Glare Free matte screen that makes it the ideal TV for those in a bright room because it totally squashes reflections even in darker scenes. Daytime sports viewing will be no issue for the QN90F.
Aside from the brightness, the QN90F has excellent motion handling. With the right settings (judder and blur adjustments set to 3), it delivers a smooth picture that will help deliver the games from the World Cup accurately and more clearly than basically anything else on the market.
The QN90F also delivers excellent contrast and color for movies and is a gaming powerhouse with 4K 144Hz, VRR and ALLM all supported across four HDMI 2.1 ports.
Since its release in 2025, its prices have dropped significantly. A 65-inch set costs $1,599 / £1,399 / AU$2,899 so while it’s at the pricier end of the mini-LED market, it is excellent value, made even better by the big drop in price from its original $2,499 / £2,499 / AU$3,499 price tag.
Soundbar: Samsung HW-Q800F
The Samsung HW-Q800F sits at the top of our best soundbars list. It delivers a powerful, immersive sound with solid Dolby Atmos reproduction. Its subwoofer, which is a new compact, dual-driver unit, produces some serious bass that’s precise and well controlled.
Speaking of precise, this is one of the Q800F’s greatest strengths. Not only is its sound immersive, it’s accurate too. Its mapping of different effects is pinpoint and is has excellent directionality. It will do a great job with the fast-paced action of a World Cup game and the feeling of crowd’s ambiance exploding out of the soundbar and into the space all around the TV.
The Q800F also supports Wi-Fi music streaming and supports 4K 120Hz gaming in its HDMI in ports. And, it does all this for a fairly reasonable price too, costing $799 / £599 / AU$799. While that is getting to the pricier side of the soundbar market, it’s worth every penny.
Setup 4: The elite OLED & surround experience
TV: Samsung S95F
The Samsung S95F was one of 2025’s best OLED TVs. It delivers excellent picture quality, with vibrant, bold colors and strong contrast, as well as crisp textures and refined detail. It’s also fully stocked for gaming with four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 165Hz, full VRR including G-Sync, ALLM and HDR10+ gaming.
What sets the S95F apart from other OLEDs is its anti-reflection screen. A matte coating means mirror-like reflections are reduced to haze, making it a fantastic OLED for bright room viewing. With this TV, you’ll get to watch daytime sports with OLED’s color, detail and perfect viewing angles without worrying about reflections. While mini-LED is our typical recommendation for sports, this OLED changes the game.
However, as a flagship OLED, the S95F is in the premium price bracket. A 65-inch model costs $2,499 / £2,299 / AU$3,799 which is pricey, but if you’re after an elite World Cup experience, then this OLED TV should definitely be on your list.
Soundbar: Samsung HW-Q990F
The Samsung HW-Q990F is a multi-box soundbar system that delivers serious power across 11.1.4 channels. It’s sound is expansive and precise, creating a real Dolby Atmos experience at home thanks to its two rear speakers and subwoofer.
The subwoofer is a new, compact size but thankfully, none of the hefty, detailed bass has disappeared. The dual-driver sub delivers raw power which works wonders for movies. The rear speakers are excellent at delivering surround effects and the soundbar itself delivers clear speech, punchy audio and excellent separation.
If you’re looking for a soundbar to capture the stadium atmosphere of the World Cup, this is it. This level of performance comes at a price though. At $1,599 / £999 / AU$1,399, this is a premium soundbar.
But for the performance and features it brings, including hi-res audio and Wi-Fi streaming support as well as 4K 120Hz passthrough for gaming, the Q990F is worth the investment if you have the budget.
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
