How to watch Tour de France 2026: Everything you need to live stream the French Grand Tour

The Tour de France 2026 will begin on Saturday 4 July in Barcelona, as Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard once again fight it out for the yellow jersey.

The race begins with a team time trial in Spain, before the race enters France on stage three, with five mountain ranges, punchy days, sprint opportunities, and an individual time trial on the route.

For many riders and fans alike, the Tour is the season's peak – the biggest stage where the greatest stars challenge each other over some of cycling's most legendary battlefields.

The race enters the Pyrenees as early as stage three. Following that mountain range the race heads north to Bordeaux before cutting diagonally across the country, through the Massif Central, onto the Vosges, before heading down into the Alps and two stage finishes up Alpe d'Huez.

Alongside Pogačar and Vingegaard, Tom Pidcock, Paul Seixas, Remco Evenepoel and Mathieu van der Poel are among the stars to watch over the three weeks of the French Grand Tour.

Below, Cycling Weekly has gathered all the key information on broadcasters and live streams so you can watch the Tour de France wherever you are.

Quick guide to watching the Tour de France

• UK: TNT Sports / HBO Max (£30.99/mon)
• US: Peacock ($10.99/mon)
• Canada: Flobikes ($49.99/mon)
• Australia: SBS (Free)
• Free live streams: SBS (Australia), France TV (France), RAI (Italy) RTBF (Belgium), RTVE (Spain), NOS (Netherlands)
• Anywhere: Watch your local stream from anywhere with NordVPN

Can I watch the Tour de France for free?

Fans in Australia, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands can watch the Tour de France for free.

In Australia, the race is being shown on TV and online by SBS, the country's public service broadcaster. Streaming is available at SBS On Demand, with linear viewing available on SBS Viceland.

In France itself, the Tour de France will also be shown live via host broadcaster France Télévisions, with the action on France 2 or France 3 and online via France.TV.

In Italy through RAI Play online, in Belgium on RTL and VRT, in Spain on RTVE, and in the Netherlands on NOS are also all free.

Coverage is geo-restricted, so if you're not in any of these countries right now, and these channels are your usual port of call, you'll need a VPN to get your usual coverage while abroad – more on that below.

How to watch the Tour de France while abroad

Most streaming platforms have geo-restrictions these days, which means they only work in certain countries. But being locked out of the races is a thing of the past thanks to a VPN.

A Virtual Private Network is a piece of internet security software that can alter your device's location, so you can unblock your usual streaming services, even when you're abroad.

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► Should I use a VPN to watch cycling? Explaining the benefits, costs, considerations, and best VPNs for streaming the races

How to watch the Tour de France in the UK

In the UK, the race will be shown live across TNT Sports and HBO Max.

Live streaming is available on HBO Max, with linear viewing on TNT Sports. Plans start at £25.99 per month, with rolling subscriptions available at £30.99.

However, if you just want to watch highlights, these will be on free-to-air channel 5 every evening, as part of a new deal.

How to watch the Tour de France in the US and Canada

For US viewers, this year's coverage of the Tour de France is going to be on NBC and Peacock

Both outlets come from the same NBCUniversal stable, with NBC available on many cable packages and Peacock – which is set to show all 21 stages live – on a pay per month basis. It'll cost you $7.99, or you can go ad-free for $13.99.

Meanwhile, in Canada, Flobikes is in charge of broadcasting the Tour de France in Canada. Subscriptions cost CA$39.99 a month, with big savings for long-term plans. The Flobikes TV app is available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, as well as on iOS and Android.

What to expect at the Tour de France

The Tour de France 2026 will be the 113th edition of what most bike racing fans view as the greatest bike race in the world. It will cover 3,333km over the course of three weeks and 21 stages – with two rest days along the way.

Starting on Saturday 4 July, the French Grand Tour begins in Barcelona with a team time trial, and then another lumpy stage in Spain, before it heads north to France to finish stage three in the Pyrenees.

From there, the race deals with the Pyrenees early, then cuts through the Massif Central up to the Vosges, then through the Jura to the Alps, where there is a showdown on Alpe d'Huez with two stages back-to-back on the antepenultimate and penultimate days.

The race ends on Sunday 26 July in Paris with a repeat of the Montmartre circuit which was such a success last year.

There are multiple contenders for the famous yellow jersey, but Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) stands above them all. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) will attempt to the do the double after he won the Giro d'Italia in May.

Remco Evenepoel is back, but with a new team in Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, where he will share leadership with last year's third-place, Florian Lipowitz, while the hopes of France hinge on the success of 19-year-old Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM).

In between all those, there's a hatful of sprinters, puncheurs, and climbers who will be hoping to make their mark with a stage win.

2026 Tour de France stage start and finish times