World Cup streams are intentionally freezing your video player — here is why your VPN’s ad blocker is causing the crash and the way that you can fix it before England vs Mexico jamie.richards@futurenet.com (Jamie Richards) | usagoldmines.com

Many of the best VPNs come with ad-blockers built in, meaning you can surf the web uninterrupted, but when it comes to watching live broadcasts like the 2026 World Cup online, ad-blockers can bring your entire stream to a standstill.

Those using an ad-blocker on a streaming service usually have no problems – until the ad break, at which time the screen can freeze or turn black.

This is because many streaming sites use server-side ad insertions (SSAI), which deliver ads from the same pre-browser server as the rest of the broadcast, rather than through a third-party domain.

When the VPN’s ad-blocker detects an advertisement, it shuts down the entire viewing experience, rather than only the ads – because the ads and broadcast are coming from the same place. Your ad-blocker can’t tell the difference between the two and calls time on your stream.

Thankfully, most VPNs will allow you to switch off ad-blocking. So, you just need to remember to do that when you’re using an ad-funded World Cup streaming service, like ITVX. (It’s not a problem on ad-free ones like iPlayer.)

If you don’t currently have a VPN for the World Cup, then give Norton VPN a try. It’s very good for streaming and has a 60-day money-back guarantee. That’s double the length of over VPNs.

It’s also more than enough time to cover you for the rest of the World Cup.

It’s simple enough to switch off Norton’s ad blocker. Go to the settings cog and find the Ad Tracker Blocking toggle. (It’s in the VPN preferences tab if you’re using a laptop). Then switch it off. Simple.

If you are hesitant to switch off your ad-blocking tools completely, there is a fairly techy workaround if you really want.

While streaming, open your browser’s developer tools and watch the network tab as the stream crashes – this should show you the blocked tracking domain.

You can then add that URL to your ad blocker’s whitelist, which will keep the video running while continuing to block other ads.

It’s worth noting that one of Norton’s competitors, Windscribe, allows users to create custom whitelisting rules by site with it’s R.O.B.E.R.T tool (yes, that’s its actual name), meaning you won’t need to switch off ad-blocking while enjoying a match. Check out our Windscribe VPN review for details.