As July approaches, one thing is on every cycling fan's mind – the Tour de France. And on Saturday, July 4, 2026, the men’s WorldTour peloton will be lining up in Lille for the race's Grand Départ.
Anything can happen in three weeks of racing, and whoever ends their race in Paris donning the yellow jersey will have a career-defining moment as they win the biggest race in the sport. Last year’s winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) will be back to defend his title and after a sensational season so far, the four-time winner is the rider to beat again.
The winner in 2022 and 2023 and recent Giro d'Italia champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) will be looking to reestablish himself as the best Grand Tour rider by upsetting Pogačar's recent dominance.
Remco Evenepoel (Redbull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and French youngster Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA-CGM) are also part of the star-studded line-up at La Grande Boucle. Other big names of the sport like Florian Lipowitz (Redbull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) are all looking for glory over the three weeks in France.
With so much to play for in this year's Tour de France, fans will not want to miss a moment of this nail-biting Grand Tour. Thankfully, there are plenty of places where you can watch every minute on a subscription, as well as free-to-air coverage.
How to watch the Tour de France live in the UK
Since the termination of ITV cycling coverage last year, this year marks the first Tour de France in decades which will not be shown live, in full, on television for free. That said, the race has a new free-to-air home in the UK, as 5 have agreed a multi-year deal with TNT Sports to show highlights of each of the Grand Tours.
Coverage on 5 begins with highlights of the Grand Départ from Barcelona on July 4th, and will be fronted by sports presenter and journalist, Rebecca Charlton.
Live coverage in the UK will remain on TNT Sports and HBO Max, with contracts costing £30.99 a month, although it can be purchased for £25.99 a month on a 12-month contract.
How to watch the Tour de France live in the USA and Canada
In the USA, cycling fans can watch the Tour de France live on NBC and stream it through Peacock, which offers the most extensive coverage, including every stage live, along with pre- and post-race analysis and on-demand replays. NBC is also accessible through popular services like Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, and FuboTV.
In Canada, the Tour will be broadcast exclusively on FloBikes, which costs $29.99 per month or $150 for a full year. The platform offers live coverage, full race replays, highlights, and in-depth analysis and is accessible through web browsers and apps on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Chromecast, providing flexible viewing across devices.
How to watch the Tour de France live in Australia
For fans in Australia, SBS will broadcast all stages live and for free. The broadcast channel will also include daily highlights and exclusive content for its viewers down under with a team of commentators on the ground in France.
Other areas:
France: France Televisions
Spain: RTVE
Italy: RAI
New Zealand: Sky Sport
Japan: J Sport
