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France hosts the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but you don’t need to live near the City of Light to tune in. We’ll show you where to watch Rugby World Cup live streams for free from anywhere. The United States didn’t qualify this time, but you can watch 20 other teams smash each other around the pitch leading up to the final on October 28.
See also: Free US Open live streamSee also: Watch FIBA World Cup live streams for free
Participating nations include Argentina, Australia, Chile (the only country new to this dance), England, Fiji, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Namibia, New Zealand, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, Uruguay, and Wales. Many of these countries have local broadcasts and streams for those within their borders.
If you don’t have a proper watch option in your country, we’ll show you how to watch Rugby World Cup live streams for free using a VPN. Short for virtual private network, these handy apps let your devices mimic various international locations of your choosing, so you can hop onto one of the all-inclusive streaming sources listed below. These options do, of course, include a free live stream of France vs. New Zealand in tonight’s opening game.
2023 Rugby World Cup live stream quick links:
Access FREE live streams internationally via ExpressVPN (try it risk-free for 30 days)USA: NBC via Peacock ($5.99 monthly)UK: ITVX (free)Australia: Stan Sport (30-day free trial + $15 monthly Stan Sport add-on) / 9Now (free, national team games and final only)France: TF1 (free) / France TV (free) / M6 via 6Play (free)When: September 8 – October 28First game: Friday, September 8 – France vs. New Zealand, 3:15 p.m. ET / 8:15 p.m. BST / 9:15 p.m. CET / 5:15 a.m. (Saturday) AEST
Where to watch Rugby World Cup live streams free from anywhere
You can catch all of the Rugby World Cup action using the free ITVX live stream in the United Kingdom, offering up every match. ITV1 will show the majority of games, and the others will be shown between ITV3 and 4. While ITVX is a UK-based platform, you can access it from anywhere using a VPN.
A VPN virtually changes your devices’ location, so apps and websites think you’re connecting from servers within those countries. In the case of the Rugby World Cup, you can connect through a UK server, and ITV will let you in with no fuss after creating a free email login. You can also use VPNs to sign up for cheap streaming services such as Peacock (it’s also showing all Rugby World Cup games starting at $5.99 monthly).
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How to watch the Rugby World Cup with a VPN
Sign up for a VPN if you don’t have one.Install it on the device you’re using to watch the game.Turn it on and set it to a UK location.Go to: ITVX.Sign in/create a free login and watch the matches.When: September 8 – October 28
How to watch the Rugby World Cup in the USA
NBC is the exclusive broadcast partner for the Rugby World Cup in the United States. All games will stream live on its Peacock streaming service (starts at just $5.99 monthly).
You’ll also find over a dozen select matches on its network news arm, CNBC (available on live TV streaming services like Sling Blue + News Extra, currently just $20 for your first month). Or, if you have a VPN, you can watch all of the Rugby World Cup matches for free using ITVX, as described above.
How to watch Rugby World Cup games live in the UK
ITV is the official broadcast provider for Rugby World Cup 2023 games in the UK. All games will be available across ITV1 and ITV4 on TV and online. If you’re interested in streaming on mobile devices and computers, the streaming component known as ITVX will also have all the coverage you need.
How to watch the Rugby World Cup in Australia
You have some neat options for watching Rugby World Cup games in Australia. Stan Sport will show every game on the schedule. You can also tune into all Australian national team games and the final game for free using the 9Now streaming service.
How to watch the Rugby World Cup in France
As the Rugby World Cup is in Paris this year, it’s only natural that French viewers have an abundance of free, local live stream options. TF1 is the primary provider for Rugby World Cup games in France, but the network has also made deals to share around half of its games with France TV and M6 via 6Play.
You may need to peck around the TV guides for those respective channels to find the exact matches you want to watch, but you should be able to catch all scheduled matches for free, no sign-up required.
Rugby World Cup schedule
Below is a full schedule of Rugby World Cup games that will run through the October 28 final. All times below are in US Eastern.
Groups and Pools
Friday, September 8
France vs. New Zealand, 3:15 p.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)
Saturday, September 9
Italy vs. Namibia, 7:00 a.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)Ireland vs. Romania, 9:30 a.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)Australia vs. Georgia, 12:00 p.m. ET; Pool C (free on ITVX)England vs. Argentina, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)
Sunday, September 10
Japan vs. Chile, 7:00 a.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)South Africa vs. Scotland, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)Wales vs. Fiji, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool C (free on ITVX)
Thursday, September 14
France vs. Uruguay, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)
Friday, September 15
New Zealand vs. Namibia, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)
Saturday, September 16
Samoa vs. Chile, 9:00 a.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)Wales vs. Portugal, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool (free on ITVX)Ireland vs. Tonga, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)
Sunday, September 17
South Africa vs. Romania, 9:00 a.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)Australia vs. Fiji, 12:45 p.m. ET; Pool C (free on ITVX)England vs. Japan, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)
Wednesday, September 20
Italy vs. Uruguay, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)
Thursday, September 21
France vs. Namibia, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)
Friday, September 22
Argentina vs. Samoa, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)
Saturday, September 23
Georgia vs. Portugal, 8:00 a.m. ET; Pool C (free on ITVX)England vs. Chile, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)South Africa vs. Ireland, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)
Sunday, September 24
Scotland vs. Tonga, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)Wales vs. Australia, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool C (free on ITVX)
Wednesday, September 27
Uruguay vs. Namibia, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)
Thursday, September 28
Japan vs. Samoa, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)
Friday, September 29
New Zealand vs. Italy, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)
Saturday, September 30
Argentina vs. Chile, 9:00 a.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)Fiji vs. Georgia, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool C (free on ITVX)Scotland vs. Romania, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)
Sunday, October 1
Australia vs. Portugal, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool C (free on ITVX)South Africa vs. Tonga, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)
Thursday, October 5
New Zealand vs. Uruguay, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)
Friday, October 6
France vs. Italy, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool A (free on ITVX)
Saturday, October 7
Wales vs. Georgia, 9:00 a.m. ET; Pool C (free on ITVX)England vs. Samoa, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)Ireland vs. Scotland, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)
Sunday, October 8
Japan vs. Argentina, 7:00 a.m. ET; Pool D (free on ITVX)Tonga vs. Romania, 11:45 a.m. ET; Pool B (free on ITVX)Fiji vs. Portugal, 3:00 p.m. ET; Pool C (free on ITVX)France vs. New Zealand; Friday, September 8, 3:15 p.m. ET (free on ITVX)
Quarter Final
Saturday, October 14
TBD (Winner Pool C) vs. TBD (Runner-up Pool D), 11:00 a.m. ET; QF1 (free on ITVX)TBD (Winner Pool B) vs. TBD (Runner-up Pool A), 3:00 p.m. ET; QF2 (free on ITVX)
Sunday, October 15
TBD (Winner Pool D) vs. TBD (Runner-up Pool C), 11:00 a.m. ET; QF3 (free on ITVX)TBD (Winner Pool A) vs. TBD (Runner-up Pool B), 3:00 p.m. ET; QF4 (free on ITVX)
Semi-finals
Friday, October 20
TBD (Winner Quarter-final 1) vs. TBD (Winner Quarter-final 2), 3:00 p.m. ET; Semi-final 1 (free on ITVX)
Saturday, October 21
TBD (Winner Quarter-final 3) vs. TBD (Winner Quarter-final 4), 3:00 p.m. ET; Semi-final 2 (free on ITVX)
Bronze Final (Third-place matchup)
Friday, October 27
TBD (Losers: SF1) vs. TBD (Losers: SF2), 3:00 p.m. ET; Third place play-off (free on ITVX)
Final
Saturday, October 28
TBD (Winners: SF1) vs. TBD (Winners: SF2), 3:00 p.m. ET; Final (free on ITVX)
Note: The use of VPNs is illegal in certain countries, and using VPNs to access region-locked streaming content might constitute a breach of the terms of use for certain services. Insider does not endorse or condone the illegal use of VPNs.