How much does Tuneline cost?

Tuneline is $34.99 as a one-time purchase — no subscriptions, no recurring fees. This includes cloud sync across up to 5 devices, unlimited playlists, recording, and multi-view/PiP. Every purchase is backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee, and a free version with limited features (1 playlist, single device, no cloud sync) is also available.

Do you offer refunds?

Yes — Tuneline comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee. If you're not happy with your purchase for any reason, email support@tuneline.app within 14 days of your order and we'll refund you in full. No questions asked.

Does Tuneline provide any content?

No. Tuneline is a media player only — like VLC. It does not provide, host, or distribute any content. You bring your own playlists (M3U file, URL, or Xtream Codes login) from your content provider.

What playlist formats are supported?

Tuneline supports M3U and M3U8 playlists (local files or remote URLs), Xtream Codes API, and Stalker Portal. For EPG, it supports XMLTV format from any compatible source.

Which platforms is Tuneline available on?

Tuneline is available on macOS (DMG), Windows (Microsoft Store), Linux (Snap Store), Android (Google Play), Google TV, and iOS. There's also a web dashboard for managing your playlists and settings from any browser.

What is the web dashboard?

The Tuneline web dashboard is a browser-based control center where you can manage playlists, favorites, and settings. Any changes you make sync automatically to all your linked devices.

How does Google Calendar integration work?

Tuneline can sync with your Google Calendar to create reminders for upcoming shows and programs from your EPG. You'll get calendar notifications before your favorite shows start.

Can I use multiple playlists?

Absolutely. You can add and manage multiple playlists from different providers. Switch between them easily from the source selector in the top bar, or manage them all from the web dashboard.

Yes. Tuneline stores all your data locally on your device. Your playlists, credentials, and viewing history never leave your machine. We don't collect analytics or usage data.

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ReviewsMay 9, 2026·8 min

By Shamir

How to Watch FIFA World Cup 2026 on Mac with an IPTV Player

If you already pay for a sports subscription — Fox Sports, Telemundo, or Peacock in the United States; BBC iPlayer or ITVX in the UK; TSN or CTV in Canada; Sony Sports in India; T Sports in Bangladesh; Optus Sport or SBS in Australia; beIN or Sky Sports elsewhere — and you'd like to watch every match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on your Mac, you need exactly two things: an IPTV player that's Apple Silicon native, and your existing subscription's M3U / Xtream Codes / Stalker login. This post walks through the setup, end to end, in the two weeks before kickoff on June 11.

Why a Player Matters on Mac Specifically

The Mac is the worst-served IPTV platform by a wide margin — there are dozens of polished IPTV apps on Android and Fire TV, a healthy ecosystem on Windows, and on macOS there are roughly five names anyone seriously recommends. Half of those are aging or barely updated.

What this means in the run-up to a tournament with 104 matches across 39 days: most "top 10 IPTV player for Mac" articles are listing Intel-only apps that haven't been notarised for Sequoia, or thin Electron wrappers around the same libVLC binary you can download for free. You want a player that:

Runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) with hardware decode via VideoToolbox.
Uses a serious playback engine — libmpv (mpv/IINA), libVLC, or AVFoundation.
Handles M3U, Xtream Codes, and Stalker Portal — not just one format.
Has an EPG that loads thousands of programmes without freezing.
Has cross-device sync, so the favourites you set up on the Mac follow you to your phone or TV.
Ships empty — no bundled "free playlists", no built-in stream lists. (Those apps get pulled from the App Store at the worst possible time, usually the week before a major tournament.)

For the deeper checklist see our best IPTV player for Mac in 2026 post; the cornerstone overview for the tournament is best IPTV player for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

What You Need Before Kickoff

Run this in the next two weeks. The worst time to discover your Mac setup is broken is at the Mexico-vs-South Africa opener.

Your subscription credentials. Either an M3U URL, an Xtream Codes login (host + username + password), or a Stalker Portal URL + MAC address — whatever your provider issues. Have them in a password manager before you start.
Tuneline installed on your Mac. Free download for Apple Silicon and Intel from /download. Universal binary, ~98 MB.
A working internet connection at the spot where the Mac actually lives. Run a speed test from that exact desk. 1080p60 wants ≥10 Mbps with stable latency; 4K wants ≥25 Mbps and you almost certainly want Ethernet.
Optional: a USB-C-to-Ethernet adapter ($20). If your Mac usually streams on Wi-Fi, hardwire it for the duration of the tournament. This saves you four hours of stuttering matches over the 39 days.
Optional: an external display. Group-stage Sundays will have you running multiple matches in tile. The 14-inch built-in MacBook Pro display is fine for one; you'll appreciate the second screen for two.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Install Tuneline

Download the macOS DMG from /download. Drag Tuneline.app to Applications. First launch will prompt for the standard Gatekeeper approval — Tuneline is Developer ID signed and notarised by Apple, so the dialog will accept the app without needing "Open Anyway" in System Settings.

If you see "Apple cannot check this app for malicious software," your macOS version is older than Sequoia; right-click the app icon and choose Open to bypass once.

2. Add your playlist

Open Tuneline → top bar → click the source selector → Add Playlist. You'll be prompted for one of:

M3U URL — paste the URL your provider gave you.
Xtream Codes — host, username, password.
Stalker Portal — portal URL plus the MAC address your provider whitelisted.

If something fails here, the most common reason is the URL being wrong, not the credentials. Copy-paste, don't retype. Our Xtream Codes login failed fix covers the rest.

3. Load the EPG

Tuneline auto-discovers the XMLTV guide from most Xtream and M3U providers. For M3U sources without an embedded guide URL, paste your provider's XMLTV URL into Settings → EPG → Custom guide URL.

Don't wait until match day. EPG sources sometimes 404, and you want to know that now, not at kickoff. If the guide doesn't populate, our EPG troubleshooting guide has the fixes.

4. Pre-mark the World Cup channels as favourites

This is the single setup step that pays off the most during the tournament. In the sidebar, find your provider's Fox / FS1 / Telemundo / Peacock / BBC / ITV / TSN / Sony / beIN channels — whichever apply in your country — and star each one. Tuneline will pin them to the top of your channel list so you're not scrolling during the kickoff scramble.

If your provider exposes a separate "World Cup" channel pack, drop those into favourites as well. Group-stage Sundays carry simultaneous matches and you'll want all four broadcasters one click away.

5. Test fullscreen and PiP

Press F with a stream playing. Tuneline routes fullscreen through the macOS window_manager so it works regardless of which widget has focus — including from the sidebar. The menu bar autohides; Esc returns you to windowed.

For picture-in-picture during simultaneous matches, use ⌘P with a stream playing. Tuneline uses macOS's native PiP API, so the floating window survives Mission Control, Spaces, and Stage Manager.

6. Test on your worst connection

If your Mac sometimes runs on Wi-Fi from the bedroom, play a 1080p stream from that spot for ten uninterrupted minutes. If it stutters, you have two weeks to fix it: hardwire, or move the router, or upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E, or accept that you're watching from the living room for the duration. (Slow internet settings that help.)

Mac-Specific Tips for the Tournament

Pin Tuneline to a dedicated Space. ⌘+Tab away to do other work without your stream losing focus or stuttering.
Use Stage Manager for second-match-on-the-side viewing. macOS Sonoma+ Stage Manager keeps Tuneline visible in the corner during the main match in PiP — a clean alternative to PiP-in-PiP.
Bind number keys to favourite channels. Settings → Keyboard → set 1–9 to your top-nine favourites. Channel surfing during group-stage breaks becomes one keystroke.
Disable App Nap for Tuneline. Right-click Tuneline.app → Get Info → check "Prevent App Nap." macOS will sometimes throttle background streams; this prevents it.
Quit other heavy apps. A 1080p60 H.265 stream is genuinely demanding to decode. Close the Chrome instance with 80 tabs before the match.
Don't run a VPN unless you need to. macOS's networking stack is finicky with VPN clients and IPTV streams are sensitive to added latency. Try without first.

Troubleshooting Cheat-Sheet

Buffering during a key match — see how to fix IPTV buffering. 90% of the time it's the network, not the player.
Black screen, audio works — codec mismatch with your provider's stream. See black screen but audio works fix.
EPG blank or shows yesterday's schedule — see EPG not loading fix.
Xtream login refused — most common issue is the host URL having http:// vs https:// wrong. See Xtream Codes login failed fix.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Tuneline free on Mac?

Yes. There's no paywall, no World Cup unlock, and no ads. We don't sell channels or subscriptions — Tuneline is a player, you bring your own subscription.

Will my IPTV provider work with Tuneline on Mac?

If your provider gives you an M3U URL, an Xtream Codes login, or a Stalker Portal URL with MAC address, yes. Those are the three formats the IPTV industry actually uses. If your provider only exposes a proprietary app, ask them for an M3U or Xtream login — most have one available on request.

Can I record matches on Mac?

Not currently. Tuneline's recording feature is available on Windows, Linux, and Android; the macOS recording build is in development. If catch-up matters to you for daytime matches, your subscription's own catch-up window is the better path on Mac today. (See catch-up TV explained.)

Does Tuneline run on Intel Macs?

Yes. Universal binary, runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel. You'll get the best battery life and lowest CPU on Apple Silicon, but anything macOS 12 or newer is fully supported.

Will it work on a Mac mini hooked up to my TV?

Yes — and that's a great World Cup setup. Hardwire the Mac mini, run Tuneline fullscreen on the TV, control it with a Logitech keyboard or the macOS Remote app on your phone. You get a real desktop player on a TV-sized screen without dealing with Fire TV's input lag.

Will the macOS App Store version arrive before the tournament?

The macOS App Store build is in review with Apple. The direct download at /download is identical in features, fully signed and notarised, and updates more frequently. There's no functional reason to wait for the App Store version.

Will Tuneline work with the BBC iPlayer / ITVX / Fox Sports / Peacock app's streams?

Tuneline plays the protocols your provider exposes — typically HLS, MPEG-TS over HTTP, or DASH wrapped in M3U or Xtream. Broadcaster-app streams that are locked to that broadcaster's own DRM (Widevine / FairPlay) cannot be played by any third-party IPTV player. Use the broadcaster's own app for DRM-locked streams; use Tuneline for the open-protocol streams your IPTV provider serves you.

The Short Answer

Install Tuneline, add your subscription, load the EPG, star the World Cup channels, run a fullscreen test, and hardwire the Mac if it usually streams on Wi-Fi. Do all of that in the next two weeks and you'll have a setup you can rely on for all 104 matches.

For deeper background, the cornerstone World Cup IPTV player guide compares Tuneline, TiviMate, IPTV Smarters, VLC, and Kodi side by side. The general Mac evaluation rubric is in best IPTV player for Mac in 2026.