If you are on vacation during the Commonwealth Games, you may be wondering how to access your home TV services from abroad. The good news is that you can watch the Commonwealth Games from anywhere with a VPN.
If you are abroad, you have probably noticed that TV services like BBC iPlayer, ESPN, FuboTV, and Sony LIV are region-locked. Luckily, you can regain access to your usual TV services by connecting to an IP address back home in the UK or elsewhere.
By choosing a VPN server in your home country, you can watch your usual streaming account abroad. The only caveat is that most VPN services have now been blocked by leading streaming providers. You must pick your VPN for Commonwealth Games carefully.
In this guide, we have explained how to watch the Commonwealth Games 2022 from anywhere. We have also recommended the best Commonwealth VPNs with the features you need to stream the Games abroad.
How to watch the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a VPN
Using a VPN to unblock international TV streams of the Commonwealth Games is easy. That said, you must subscribe to a reliable VPN that has servers compatible with the international TV platforms that have acquired the rights to broadcast the games in 2022.
To help you out, we have recommended the best VPNs to stream the Commonwealth Games below. You can follow our quick guide below to stream The Commonwealth Games online from anywhere.
Here is how to stream the Commonwealth Games from anywhere:
- Pick a VPN that works to stream the Commonwealth Games. We recommend NordVPN because it is secure, fast, and works with all popular international streaming services. Alternatively, Surfshark is a cheap option – and ExpressVPN is a fantastic all-rounder.
- Navigate to the VPN’s website. Our link will let you get the VPN at the lowest cost thanks to our exclusive coupon code!
- Download and install the VPN app you need for your streaming device (Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android).
- Choose one of the streaming services mentioned in this guide. We have recommended many official options that carry the Commonwealth Games around the globe.
- Connect to a VPN server located in the region where your streaming service is located.
- Launch your TV provider’s website or app. You will now be able to watch the Commonwealth Games without problems; all thanks to your VPN.
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Where can I watch the Commonwealth Games online?
In 2022, a number of international broadcasters acquired the rights to the Commonwealth Games. Many of these have an online streaming platform, which means you’ll be able to watch the games on any internet-connected device.
Although it may be possible to find unofficial sources that are showing the games, these could be subjected to takedowns at any time, and they will almost certainly expose you to popups, malware, adware, and other malicious things.
Unofficial streams also suffer from high levels of buffering and low quality. With so many official streaming services available with a VPN, it is completely unnecessary to resort to unofficial streams.
How to watch the Commonwealth Games online on UK TV
In the UK, coverage of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will be available exclusively on BBC iPlayer. The good news is that the UK’s free streaming platform will be providing continuous coverage of the games online. In total, over 200 hours of coverage will be available on iPlayer.
Just remember that BBC iPlayer is region locked to prevent people outside of the UK from being able to stream. As a result, you must connect to a VPN server in Britain to watch iPlayer from abroad. This will give you a valid UK IP address so that you can log in or create an iPlayer account overseas.
Not all VPNs have servers that work to access iPlayer outside the UK. Luckily, our top three VPNs for the Commonwealth Games all have UK servers compatible with iPlayer. In fact, they even have a money-back guarantee! You could watch the BBC’s coverage while on vacation and then opt to get a refund.
How to watch the Commonwealth Games online on US TV
The official broadcaster for the Commonwealth Games in the US is ESPN. You will be able to log in to ESPN’s website to stream the competition if you have valid cable TV provider details.
You can also get a subscription to ESPN Plus on the ESPN website. This will cost you $9.99 per month.
Alternatively, you can get a subscription to a third-party streaming platform that carries ESPN. To make things easier for you, we have included these services below:
- Sling TV (Orange plan)
- DirecTV STREAM
- Hulu with live TV
- Fubo TV
- YouTube TV
- Vidgo
- Spectrum TV
All the streaming services mentioned above are region locked to the US. You will need a VPN to get a valid US IP address. Our recommended VPNs have a choice of servers in America that work to stream the Commonwealth Games from abroad.
Bear in mind that ESPN is a paid service. You will need a streaming subscription or an existing cable account to stream the Commonwealth Games via an American TV streaming platform. As a result, you may prefer to use a different international streaming service if you are traveling abroad.
How to watch the Commonwealth Games online on Canadian TV
Viewers in Canada can stream the 2022 Commonwealth Games for free on CBC. CBC will provide six daily feeds of the competition via cbcsports.ca, CBC Gem, and the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android.
The good news is that you can watch CBC coverage of the Commonwealth Games for free online on CBC Gem. You can also upgrade to premium for CAD$4.99 if you want to. This will remove the ads from on-demand content.
Bear in mind that CBC is region locked to Canada, so you will need to connect to a VPN service to stream CBC Sports coverage for free. This will give you a valid Canadian IP address that works with both the CBC Gem website and the CBC Sports app.
How to watch the Commonwealth Games online on Australian TV
The official broadcaster for the Commonwealth Games down under is Seven. You can stream the games for free via the 7Plus player on the Seven Network website.
Just bear in mind that you will need to create a 7Plus account. You will also need to have a valid Australian IP address to watch the 2022 Commonwealth Games on Channel 7. As a result, you will need to connect to a VPN if you are currently traveling outside of Australia.
Unfortunately, very few VPNs have fast Australian servers that work to access 7Plus abroad. Luckily, our top recommended VPN for the Commonwealth games works perfectly to watch Seven abroad. You can test NordVPN to watch 7plus from anywhere risk-free thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee.
Other streaming options for the Commonwealth Games
To help you further, below we have included a list of international services that will carry the Commonwealth Games. All the TV platforms listed are region locked. You will need to connect to a VPN server in that country to stream the Games while abroad.
2022 Commonwealth Games Broadcasters Worldwide:
- Caribbean: Flow
- India: Sony Pictures Networks India
- Malaysia: Hypp Sports HD, Astro, RTM
- New Zealand: TVNZ
- Oceania: PCBL
- Singapore: Mediacorp
- South Africa: SuperSport
Can I watch the Commonwealth Games online for free?
Yes. Britain’s leading TV streaming service BBC iPlayer will be streaming continuous coverage of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The coverage provided by the BBC will be extremely comprehensive. It will give viewers the ability to pick between streams of different sporting events being broadcast across BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC Three – as well as on-demand coverage exclusively available on iPlayer.
Although BBC iPlayer is only available in the UK, it is easy to access its streams of the Commonwealth Games abroad using a VPN server in the UK. Just remember that most VPNs have been blocked by the BBC, so you must stick to our recommendations to watch the 2022 Commonwealth Games for free.
Connecting to a recommended VPN will give you a valid UK IP address – to let you watch the games for free from anywhere in the world. This is ideal if you are on vacation in a country that is not showing your favorite sports event on TV.
Alternatively, you can connect to a VPN server in Canada to stream coverage of the games for free on CBC Gem, or a server in Australia to watch coverage on 7plus. Both of these options will allow you to stream the Games completely free.
Can I use a free VPN to watch the Commonwealth Games?
No. Although there are some free VPNs available on the market, they are not suitable for streaming the Commonwealth Games. Free VPNs have very few servers, this makes them too slow for streaming. It also makes them easy for streaming platforms like ESPN, CBC, iPlayer, and Seven to block. As a result, we have yet to find any free VPNs that work to watch the Commonwealth Games from abroad.
In addition to buffering issues and a lack of servers that work to stream, free VPNs should be avoided for privacy and security reasons. Studies have revealed that free VPNs lack reliable encryption, suffer from DNS and IP leaks that make them unsuitable for gaining online privacy, and often have severe app and server vulnerabilities. They have even been found to contain spyware in their apps.
What’s more, free VPNs have invasive privacy policies that allow them to harvest your data for profiling purposes. This means that free VPNs will sell details about what you do online to third parties, such as marketing companies and data brokers, in order to create a revenue stream. That makes these free VPNs a massive risk to your online privacy and the security of your devices.
When are the opening and closing ceremonies for the Commonwealth Games?
The opening ceremony for the Commonwealth games will take place on July 28. The closing ceremony will happen on August 8th. The games will go on for 12 days.
Where will the 2022 Commonwealth Games take place?
In 2022, England is the host of the Commonwealth Games. The friendly games will take place in Birmingham, a city located in the West Midlands region.
Which countries are taking part in the 2022 Commonwealth Games?
- Anguilla
- Guyana
- Papua New Guinea
- Antigua
- Barbuda
- India
- Rwanda
- Australia
- Isle of Man
- Saint Helena
- Bahamas
- Jamaica
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Bangladesh
- Jersey Saint Lucia
- Barbados
- Kenya
- Saint Vincent
- The Grenadines
- Belize
- Kiribati
- Samoa
- Bermuda
- Lesotho
- Scotland
- Botswana
- Malawi
- Seychelles
- British Virgin Islands
- Malaysia
- Sierra Leone
- Brunei
- Maldives
- Singapore
- Cameroon
- Malta
- Solomon Islands
- Canada
- Mauritius
- South Africa
- Cook Islands
- Montserrat
- Sri Lanka
- Cyprus
- Mozambique
- Tanzania
- Dominica
- Namibia
- Tonga
- England (Host)
- Nauru
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Eswatini
- New Zealand
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Falkland Islands
- Nigeria Tuvalu
- Fiji
- Niue
- Uganda
- The Gambia
- Norfolk Island
- Vanuatu
- Ghana
- Northern Ireland
- Wales
- Gibraltar
- Pakistan
- Zambia
- Guernsey
What events will take place at the Commonwealth Games?
- Athletics
- Swimming
- Diving
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Beach Volleyball
- Boxing
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Gymnastics
- Hockey
- Judo
- Lawn bowls
- Netball
- Powerlifting
- Rugby
- Squash
- Table tennis
- Triathlon
- Wrestling
In addition to the sports listed above, the 2022 Commonwealth games will trial Esports for the first time. Unfortunately, due to it being a pilot, no medals will be awarded to the winners of the Esports competition. However, if the pilot is successful, and the decision is made to add Esports to future Commonwealth Games, then players could receive medals from 2026 onwards!
The Esport pilot Commonwealth championship will include the games listed below:
- DOTA 2
- Rocket League
- eFootball
