The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to take place from Sunday, January 18 until Sunday, February 1. For most tennis fans, traveling to Australia and getting tickets to the live event simply isn’t feasible. Thankfully, you can enjoy Australian Open coverage from anywhere in the world by connecting to a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
In this post, we’ll only recommend official broadcasters for watching the 2026 Australian Open. While unlicensed streams exist, they’re typically unreliable due to excessive lag and the risk of being pulled offline for copyright infringement. Plus, with free options available for viewing the Australian Open from anywhere, there’s simply no need to opt for unlicensed streams.
Most platforms covering the Australian Open geo-restrict their content. As such, you’ll need to connect to a VPN to access your usual home streaming services from abroad.
How to live stream the Australian Open free from anywhere
Short for Virtual Private Network, a VPN encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a server in a location of your choice. It replaces your IP address with one from that server, tricking streaming websites into allowing you access to geo-restricted content that would otherwise be blocked.
Even if you’ve never used a VPN before, getting started is simple. Just follow the steps below and you’ll be able to view the Australian Open from anywhere in the world.
Here’s how to watch the Australian Open 2026 live stream online free:
- Sign up for your chosen provider. We recommend NordVPN, but Surfshark and IPVanish are two excellent alternatives.
- Download the relevant VPN app for your device and log in using the credentials you received on signup.
- Connect to a VPN server in the streaming source region. For example, use an Australian server for 9Now.
- Access the source website and navigate to the live stream you want to view. You should be able to watch with no issues.
- Didn’t work? Try clearing your browser’s cache and cookies before reloading your browser. Alternatively, connect to a different server.
It’s a good idea to do a trial run before the match you want to watch starts, just in case you run into issues and need to troubleshoot with your VPN customer support team. After all, once you have access, you won’t want to miss a minute of the action.
How to live stream the Australian Open for free on Australian TV
In Australia, Channel Nine (or The Nine Network) has secured the rights to provide full coverage of the 2026 tournament. Online streams will be available through the channel’s online platform, 9Now. This site is accessible from anywhere, but you can only view live streams if you have an Australian IP address.
Thankfully, if you’re traveling outside Australia during the tournament, all you need to do to access a live stream is connect to one of your VPN’s Australian servers. You need to have an account in order to watch anything, but signing up is free. You’ll be asked to enter an Australian postal code during the signup process, but this isn’t verified.
Don’t have a VPN yet? We recommend NordVPN for live streaming the Australian Open. It’s fast, reliable, and is known for its ability to unblock restricted content. Plus, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can use it to watch the whole tournament and get your money back at the end.
Where else can I watch the Australian Open 2026 online?
Coverage of the 2026 Australian Open will be available from various official broadcasters across the globe. Here, we’ll explain how to access these live streams from abroad.
USA
ESPN has rights to US coverage of the tournament and will be airing it on ESPN and ESPN2. Live streams can be accessed on ESPN+ and the ESPN mobile app. To view these streams, you’ll need to sign in with credentials from a US cable TV provider (assuming ESPN is included in your cable package) or purchase an individual ESPN+ subscription which costs USD $12.99 per month or $129.99 per year. There’s currently no free trial period however.
If you don’t have access to ESPN directly, it’s also available via several over-the-top services:
- FuboTV: $45.99 for one month and $55.99 a month thereafter. Includes a 5-day free trial
- Hulu + Live TV: $89.99 per month with ads (or $99.99/month ad-free) and includes a 3-day free trial
- Sling TV:$45.99 a month but no free trial at the time of writing
- YouTube TV: $59.99 a month for the first two months and $82.99 a month thereafter and currently offers a 21-day free trial
If you’re already subscribed to these services but happen to be outside of the US, you can connect to a US VPN server and log in normally.
Canada
In Canada, TSN has the rights to broadcast all Grand Slam tennis tournaments, including the Australian Open. TV coverage is spread across TSN1, TSN2, and TSN5, and matches can be viewed online through TSN Direct.
For those looking to view on mobile, the TSN Go mobile app is available for Android and iOS. For access to TSN Direct or the mobile app, you’ll need to sign in with Canadian cable provider credentials. Alternatively, you can sign up for a standalone TSN+ subscription which costs $8.00 (CAD) per month or $80.00 (CAD) for a year.
French-language network RDS will also be broadcasting the tournament, with French commentary. Streams can be accessed online via RDS Direct and on mobile devices through the RDS Go mobile app. Similar to TSN, day and month passes for the standalone service are available (for the same prices as above).
If you’re traveling outside of Canada while the Australian Open is on, you can connect to a Canadian VPN server to access your streams as normal.
UK
Eurosport has UK broadcasting rights for the Australian Open and will air coverage on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2. Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can get Eurosport. For starters, it’s available in the UK as part of a TV package with TNT Sports, Sky Sports, and Virgin Media.
Alternatively, you can stream the 2026 Australian Open online on Eurosport via Discovery Plus. Unlike the other options, this is contract-free. You’ll need the TNT Sports package which is priced at £30.99 a month. To watch from outside the UK, you can connect to a UK VPN server and log in as normal.
How does the Australian Open tournament work?
The Australian Open is the first of four Grand Slam tennis tournaments of the year and takes place in Melbourne, Australia. It’s a hugely popular event, with a record 1.2 million spectators attending the 2025 tournament.
The men’s and women’s singles tournaments follow a similar pattern. There are four rounds followed by quarter-final, semi-final, and final matches. Every stage is a knockout stage, so when a player loses a match, they are out of the tournament. The initial draw is conducted such that the top-seeded players won’t face off against each other until the latest stages. For example, assuming they don’t lose any matches, the top two seeds will meet in the final.
Aside from the men’s and women’s singles tournaments, there will be men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles tournaments.
Who is expected to do well in the Australian Open?
At the time of writing, the top 10 ranked men and women players are as follows:
| Rank | Men (ATP Singles Rankings) | Women (WTA Singles Rankings) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) | Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner (Italy) | Iga Swiatek (Poland) |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev (Germany) | Amanda Anisimova (USA) |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic (Serbia) | Coco Gauff (USA) |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) | Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) |
| 6 | Alex De Minaur (Australia) | Jessica Pegula (USA) |
| 7 | Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) | Madison Keys (USA) |
| 8 | Ben Shelton (USA) | Jasmine Paolini (Italy) |
| 9 | Taylor Fritz (USA) | Mirra Andreeva (Russia) |
| 10 | Jack Draper (UK) | Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia) |
Last year’s winner of the men’s singles tournament was Jannik Sinner who claimed his second consecutive Australian Open title. The betting odds weigh in favor of Sinner retaining his title in 2026 (6/5) but he can expect stiff competition in the form of world number one, Carlos Alcaraz (15/8). Tennis legend and 10-time Australian Open winner, Novak Djokovic (16/1), is an outside favorite, as is Alexander Zverev (28/1).
In the women’s singles, Aryna Sabalenka is currently ranked number 1 in the world and won the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open, before finishing as runner-up in 2025. This is reflected in the fact that she’s favorite (9/4) with the bookies. However, Iga Swiatek (9/2), Elena Rybakina (10/1), and Amanda Anisimova (11/1) are all considered to be contenders.
Can I use a free VPN to watch the Australian Open online?
Free VPNs don’t work with platforms like 9Now, ESPN, TSN, or Discovery Plus (Eurosport). Often, you’ll find you can’t connect to a server in the country you want, or that the IP address you’re assigned has already been blacklisted by the streaming platform. Bandwidth throttling and data limits are common, making live sports streaming all but impossible.
Keep in mind also that your data may be at risk when you use a free VPN, due to weak encryption or a lack of leak protection. Consider that many free VPNs make money by logging and selling user data. If you’d rather keep your browsing activity and other sensitive personal information private, free VPNs are best avoided.
