How to watch the Tour de France 2026: global options for live TV and streaming with stage start times

The 2026 Tour de France starts in Barcelona on Saturday 4 July and finishes three weeks, 21 stages and 3,333km later on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday 27 July.

Unusually the race starts with a team time trial. That's very unusually, actually, because there hasn't been one in the race since 1971. Under the new rules, individual competitor times are taken rather than those of the team as a whole, so the GC contenders are likely to want to make their mark.

The 2026 Tour de France could be a vintage edition. Tadej Pogačar won the Tour de Suisse in emphatic style. Jonas Vingegaard was equally dominant at the Giro d'Italia in May and Remco Evenepoel recently revealed an impressive FTP number from his month of altitude training in Tenerife. 19-year-old Paul Seixas is a wildcard in the GC mix.

So, sit back and enjoy three weeks of non-stop action. Here's how to watch the 2026 Tour de France, plus a guide to the scheduled start and end times of each stage.

How to watch the Tour de France 2026: quick guide

• Watch in the UK: Subscribe to TNT Sports
• Watch in the USA: Subscribe to Peacock
• Watch in Canada: Subscribe to FloBikes
• Watch in Australia: Free to view on SBS
• Watch anywhere: Catch your usual stream on the move by subscribing to NordVPN*

How to watch the Tour de France 2026: full guide

If you’ve got five-plus hours to spend each day, you can watch the entire men's race end-to-end in many territories. For the more time-pressed, plenty of highlights options compress the day’s action into an hour or so.

If you’re really stuck for time, daily five-minute highlights on the Le Tour website will keep you abreast of all the action. These are also posted to YouTube.

Unlike many big cycling races, terrestrial broadcasters pay attention to the Tour de France, so you can watch at least some of it subscription-free in many territories.

There’s also the option to use a VPN to stream from a country with free terrestrial coverage, although most VPNs with decent geographic reach and streaming speeds will require a subscription.

When the Tour de France is over, you can prolong your pro-cycling fix with the Tour de France Femmes, starting on 1 August.

How can I watch the Tour de France 2026 live in the UK?

TNT Sports/HBO Max will show the race live and, as usual, there’s an on-demand option, highlights, analysis and more. Coverage times are to be confirmed.

A TNT Sports/HBO Max subscription costs £25.99 per month when billed annually. It’s available on a range of platforms, including tablets, mobile, TV with Chromecast, or AirPlay, Android TV or Apple TV.

You don't have to sign up for TNT Sports to see highlights of the 2026 race, though, with Channel 5 set to broadcast free-to-air highlights at 7pm each day.

There's free, live full-stage coverage of the Tour slated to begin on 5 in 2027.

• Subscribe to TNT Sports/HBO Max

How can I watch the Tour de France 2026 outside the UK?

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that enables you to change your device's IP address, making it appear as though you're accessing the internet from another country.

As long as you adhere to your broadcaster's terms and conditions, a VPN enables you to unblock your usual streaming services, no matter your location. Additionally, a VPN can improve playback speeds and significantly enhance your overall internet security.

There are many VPN options available, but we recommend NordVPN as the best choice. It offers strong streaming capabilities, robust security features and excellent value for money.

• Subscribe to NordVPN

*At BikeRadar (published by Our Media Limited), we review VPN services to help you access online content and services securely while you're on the go. This includes activities such as streaming your favourite TV shows, live web content or using apps from different countries (provided it's okay with the service provider’s terms and conditions). It's important to note: BikeRadar does not endorse or support the use of VPN services for illegal or malicious activities, such as accessing paid-for pirated content. Please ensure you enjoy online content responsibly!

How can I watch the Tour de France 2026 live in the USA and Canada?

The race will be hosted in the USA by NBC and its paid-for streaming service, Peacock.

Subscriptions to Peacock cost from $7.99 a month, or $79.99 a year for a basic plan. The price rises to $16.99 a month or $169.99 a year for an ad-free plan.

In Canada, racing is available on FloBikes, with a subscription costing CAD$49.99 a month or $216 for 12 months.

• Subscribe to Peacock
• Subscribe to FloBikes

How can I watch the Tour de France 2026 live in Australia?

SBS will be covering the race live and on-demand. No subscription is needed.

How else can I watch the Tour de France 2026?

There’s live terrestrial coverage in many European countries, with france.tv showing the race live and on demand on France 3.

• France – France 3
• Belgium – VRT/RTBF
• Italy – RAI Sports
• Spain – RTVE
• Netherlands – NOS

Tour de France stage start and end times

Like the Tour itself, stage start and end times are a movable feast. Although most stages are slated to end some time after 5pm CEST, stage start times can be as early as 11.20am and as late as 5.05pm.

Here's a summary of the start and earliest finish times provided by the Tour de France, so you know when to head for the couch each day.