The World Cup is set to kick off in June, which makes now the perfect time to upgrade your TV for the ultimate watch party. As someone who reviews TVs year-round, I’ve learned that some models simply handle sports better than others. The best TVs for sports combine bright, punchy picture quality with large screen sizes, so you get a vibrant, clear, and immersive view of all the action.
Read more LinkedIn’s layoffs will come with operational changes, memo shows
If you want a premium pick, the Samsung S95H OLED is one of the best sports TVs you can buy right now. Its excellent anti-reflective screen makes a big difference when watching games in a bright living room, and its wide viewing angles mean everyone gets a great view, even if they’re off to the side. If you’d rather spend less, the TCL QM7K QLED is a great midrange alternative. It doesn’t have Samsung’s advanced anti-glare tech or ultra-wide viewing angles, but it still delivers a bright, impactful picture — and it comes in massive 98-inch and 115-inch sizes that feel tailor-made for game day.
Below, you’ll find more details on each model, along with a few buying tips to help you choose the best sports TV for your space and budget.
Our top picks for the best TVs for sports
Best high-end: Samsung S95H OLED 4K TV – See at Samsung
Best value: TCL QM7K QLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
Best high-end
The S95H is Samsung’s 2026 flagship OLED TV, and it’s one of the most impressive displays the brand has ever made. It boasts record-level brightness for an OLED and a beautiful frame-like design.
- Brightest OLED TV so far
- Infinite contrast and wide range of colors
- Unique floating frame design
- Anti-glare screen minimizes reflections
- Expensive launch price
- Matte-like finish does slightly lift black levels in bright rooms
The Samsung S95H is one of the best TVs for sports thanks to its high-end OLED panel and impressive anti-glare screen. This is a premium model with a premium price tag, but its image quality is a clear step above cheaper TVs, and its ability to minimize reflections makes it uniquely suited for watching sports in a well-lit room.
Most TVs feature a glossy or semi-glossy finish, and though that type of screen is good for contrast, it’s prone to mirror-like reflections that can be a headache in spaces with lots of lights and windows. The S95H uses a matte-like finish that reduces glare, and it works incredibly well. Seriously, the difference between this and a typical glossy TV screen is almost night and day. This makes the S95H ideal for sports fans who struggle with reflections in their room.
That said, the S95H’s anti-glare coating has some drawbacks that glossy ones don’t. The way the screen spreads light causes black levels to appear a bit hazy when watching TV with the lights on. This isn’t really noticeable in bright sports, but it can be distracting during dark scenes in movies and TV shows. Once you turn the lights off, however, the S95H produces the kind of deep, inky black levels that OLEDs are known for. So, there’s a clear trade-off, but viewers who hate reflections should find the benefits outweigh the cons.
The S95H also offers excellent viewing angles, so colors and contrast don’t fade or distort when you’re sitting to the side of the TV. This is a big pro for gameday watch parties when everyone is seated all around the room. General image quality is top-notch, too. In fact, the S95H is the brightest OLED I’ve ever tested, reaching around 2,780 nits in HDR and 1,200 nits in SDR.
For World Cup fans, the S95H also offers an “AI Soccer Mode.” If you turn this mode on, the TV will automatically recognize when soccer is playing on screen and optimize its picture and sound by enhancing things like the green of the grass and roar of the crowd. I generally prefer to keep these kinds of settings off to get a more accurate experience, but those who want a little extra pop during watch parties may find it useful.
A special note should also be made of the S95H’s design, which features a unique metal bezel with a frame-like appearance. I think this style looks beautiful when mounted on a wall, but it won’t suit everyone’s tastes. The S95H is available in 55-, 65-, 77-, and 83-inch sizes.
Read our Samsung S95H TV review.
Check out our guides to the best Samsung TVs and best TVs for picture quality.
Best value
The TCL QM7K is a great midrange QLED TV. Its Mini LED backlight delivers high brightness, and it has better contrast control and wider viewing angles than older models.
- Good HDR brightness for a midrange TV
- Fantastic backlight control with virtually no blooming
- Improved viewing angles over older TCL models
- Supports up to a 144Hz refresh rate for PC gamers
- Black levels aren’t quite as deep as we’ve seen on other Mini LED models
- Pedestal stand’s depth could be an issue for soundbar placement
- Though decent for a QLED, viewing angles still can’t match those of an OLED
The QM7K is one of the top midrange TVs available, and its balance between excellent brightness and competitive pricing makes it an especially great value for sports fans. It’s also available in many sizes, making it ideal for viewers who want the largest screen possible.
Unlike the pricier Samsung S95H, the QM7K is a QLED TV rather than an OLED. As a result, the QM7K’s contrast isn’t as precise or high, but it performs quite well for its class. Check out my QLED vs. OLED comparison for more details on how the two display types compare.
The QM7K’s backlight control is excellent for a QLED, with less blooming (halos around bright objects) and improved uniformity than older models. It also delivered fantastic HDR colors and impressive brightness during my testing. I measured a peak of around 1,800 nits, which beats similarly priced QLEDs from Samsung, Sony, and LG.
Although this set’s glossy display is more prone to reflections than the S95F’s matte screen, you can boost the QM7K’s brightness to help minimize this. Viewing angles aren’t as wide as those of the S95H OLED, but the TV’s off-axis performance is a lot better than that of older TCL models. Colors and brightness still shift from an angle, but the effect is more subtle, so you still get a decent experience when seated to the side.
Read more Read the memo: Cisco to cut about 4,000 jobs in AI-driven restructuring
The 65-inch QM7K is often available for under $1,000, which is a great deal for this level of performance. You can also find extra-large options in 75-, 85-, and 98-inch sizes at nice discounts. The 98-inch TV, in particular, is a fantastic value, making it an ideal fit for those who want a massive screen without an outrageously high price tag. There’s also an even bigger 115-inch option, but the cost soars dramatically at that size.
Check out our guides to the best TCL TVs, best TVs, and best 4K TVs.
The best sports TVs, compared
| Samsung S95H | TCL QM7K | |
| Category | Best high-end | Best value |
| Key benefits | High brightness, anti-glare screen, wide viewing angles, and infinite contrast | Solid brightness, extra-large screen sizes, competitive price |
| Typical price (65 inch) | $3,300 | $900 |
| Panel type | OLED | QLED |
| Backlight | N/A | Mini LED with local dimming |
| HDR support | HDR10, HDR10+, HLG | HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG |
| Peak brightness | 2,780 nits | 1,800 nits |
| Smart TV OS | Tizen | Google TV |
| HDMI | Four HDMI 2.1 | Two HDMI 2.1, two HDMI 2.0 |
| Refresh rate | Up to 165Hz | Up to 144Hz |
How we test TVs for sports
To select the best TVs for sports, our team tested several models across brands and budgets. We chose the top two displays that best balanced sports-friendly features and value. Our testing factors included picture clarity, contrast ratio, color range, and smart TV navigation speed. For the best sports TVs, we also placed an emphasis on specific performance elements that deliver the best experience when watching sports, such as brightness, viewing angles, reflection handling, and large-screen options.
To measure a TV’s brightness, we use a colorimeter, test patterns from a pattern generator, and the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark 4K Blu-ray disc. But while test patterns and objective measurements are helpful, they’re no substitute for actually watching real-world content on a display to see how different kinds of material look in action. To better understand how a TV performs in regular use, we watch a variety of content specifically chosen to evaluate its shadow detail, HDR capabilities, sharpness, upscaling, motion, and other key features.
Our demo material includes movies, TV shows, and sports broadcasts across 4K resolution (Ultra HD), high definition (HD), and standard definition (SD) sources like streaming services, cable, and Blu-ray discs. We also watch content in both bright and dark rooms.
For more info on our review methodology, visit our breakdown of how we test tech products.
Meet the expert behind this guide:
Steven Cohen, senior tech editor: I oversee tech product buying guides for Business Insider’s Reviews team, and I’ve spent years testing TVs. When I review a TV, I watch a lot of real-world content — including plenty of sports — so I know exactly which features make the biggest difference on game day. My team and I also use professional calibration tools and test patterns to measure things like brightness and color accuracy, but specs only tell part of the story. You really have to watch live sports to see how a TV handles motion, color, and brightness, and the picks in this guide impressed us with smooth, sharp, and vibrant performance.
Learn more about the Reviews team at Business Insider.
Sports TV FAQs
Is a 4K TV beneficial for sports?
Whether you watch TV via cable, satellite, antenna, or a livestreaming service, many sports broadcasts are still presented in a high-definition resolution of 720p, 1080i, or 1080p. That said, major games, such as championships, are occasionally shown in 4K.
Games natively broadcast in 4K will look best on a 4K TV, but all 4K TVs can automatically upscale lower-resolution sources, improving image quality. The resulting image isn’t as sharp as an actual 4K source, but it’s still an improvement.
Generally speaking, the question of whether a 4K TV is worth it for sports is largely moot, as 4K TVs are the industry standard. Major brands no longer sell HDTVs larger than 43 inches, so if you’re buying a new TV for sports in 2026, the vast majority of your options will be 4K.
Are sports broadcast in HDR?
Some live sports are broadcast in HDR (high dynamic range), but availability depends on the network, streaming service, and the specific event. For example, Fox Sports, Peacock, and Amazon Prime Video stream select games and major events, such as the World Cup, Super Bowl, and Olympics, in HDR. However, you often need a higher-tier subscription to unlock HDR. Meanwhile, services like ESPN and Paramount Plus typically still use SDR (standard dynamic range) for sports.
When HDR is available, it can enhance sports image quality by greatly improving brightness, color, and contrast. You can learn more in our HDR TV explainer.
What size TV is best for sports?
If you want the best TV for watching sports, we recommend choosing the largest display that still fits within your space, budget, and picture-quality requirements.
Bigger TVs cost more than smaller options with comparable specifications, so depending on your budget, you may need to decide between a larger display with midrange performance or a smaller TV with a higher-end picture. This ultimately comes down to personal preference.
For TV recommendations across different sizes, check out our size-specific buying guides:
Read more Amazon cuts more jobs months after mass layoffs
- Best 100-inch TVs
- Best 85-inch TVs
- Best 75-inch TVs
- Best 65-inch TVs
- Best 55-inch TVs
- Best 50-inch TVs
- Best 43-inch TVs
About the Author
