How to watch Royal Ascot 2026 for FREE – live stream horse racing | Tech Radar

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How to watch Royal Ascot 2026: FREE live streams, schedule, TV channels for the horse racing festival

The Queen Anne Stakes is the first of eight Group 1 races

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Stream Royal Ascot 2026 free on ITVX (UK) / Virgin Media Play (Ireland)

Gold Cup 2026: Thu, Jun 18, 11.20am ET / 4.20pm BST / 1.20am AEST (Fri)

Watch Royal Ascot 2026, as the Queen Anne Stakes (9.30am ET / 2.30pm BST) headlines Day 1 of the festival. The traditional opener is worth £800,000, £453,680 of which will go to the winner, making the Group 1-rated one-mile race the third-most lucrative event of the five-day festival.

Notable Speech, ridden by William Buick, is the pre-race favourite, though last year's Queen Anne Stakes winner Docklands, mounted by Mark Zahra, is back to defend his crown.

There are 35 races in total across the five-day festival at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, including eight Group 1 runs. The King Charles III Stakes (10.40am ET / 3.40pm BST) and St James’ Palace Stakes (11.20am ET / 4.20pm BST) are the other main attractions on Day 1.

Overpass and Joshua Parr are being hotly tipped for King Charles III Stakes glory, while 2,000 Guineas winner Bow Echo, ridden by Billy Loughnane, looks like the one to beat in the St James’ Palace Stakes.

Read on for our guide on where to watch Royal Ascot 2026 live streams online, on TV and potentially for free wherever you are.

Yes. Royal Ascot 2026 is free-to-air on ITVX in the UK, Virgin Media Play in Ireland, and 7 Plus in Australia.

Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch Royal Ascot as if you were right at home. Nord VPN is our top pick of the options.

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Get Nord VPN and stream Royal Ascot 2026 from anywhere.

How to watch Royal Ascot 2026 live streams in the US

Horse racing fans in the US can watch complete Royal Ascot coverage on Peacock.

The Peacock price starts at

10.99/month or

109.99/year for a plan that carries live sports.

If you don't have the channel on cable, it's available through Sling – specifically the Blue plan, which starts at $45.99/month. It includes NBC, ABC and Fox in select locations, plus FS1, USA Network and FX.

Visiting the US from the UK or Ireland? Use Nord VPN to watch free-to-air Royal Ascot coverage.

Royal Ascot appears to have slipped through the cracks in Canada.

If you're from the UK or Ireland, a VPN will help you tune in for free. Nord VPN is our recommended provider, and you can find out why with our in-depth Nord VPN review.

How to watch Royal Ascot 2026 live streams in the UK

In the UK, Royal Ascot is free-to-air on ITV1 and ITV4, with live streaming available via the ITVX streaming service.

Live coverage gets underway at 1.30pm BST on each day of the festival.

Outside the UK? You’ll need to download a VPN, as detailed above, to tap into your free Royal Ascot stream from abroad.

How to watch Royal Ascot 2026 live streams in Australia

Royal Ascot is being shown on free-to-air 7 Plus in Australia.

It's also available via Sky Thoroughbred Central via Foxtel (streamed via Foxtel Now).

Not in Australia? Use Nord VPN if you're away from home, in order to tap into your usual horse racing coverage from anywhere.

Tuesday, June 16 2.30pm – Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) 3.05pm – Coventry Stakes 3.40pm – King Charles III Stakes (Group 1) 4.20pm – St James’ Palace Stakes (Group 1) 5pm – Ascot Stakes (Handicap) 5.35pm – Wolferton Stakes 6.10pm – Copper Horse Stakes (Handicap)

Wednesday, June 17 2.30pm – Queen Mary Stakes 3.05pm – Queen’s Vase 3.40pm – Duke of Cambridge Stakes 4.20pm – Prince of Wales' Stakes (Group 1) 5pm – Royal Hunt Cup (Heritage Handicap) 5.35pm – Kensington Palace Stakes (Handicap) 6.10pm – Windsor Castle Stakes

Thursday, June 18 2.30pm – Norfolk Stakes 3.05pm – King George V Stakes (Handicap) 3.40pm – Ribblesdale Stakes 4.20pm – Gold Cup (Group 1) 5pm – Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap) 5.35pm – Hampton Court Stakes 6.10pm – Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap)

Friday, June 19 2.30pm – Albany Stakes 3.05pm – Commonwealth Cup (Group 1) 3.40pm – Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (Handicap) 4.20pm – Coronation Stakes (Group 1) 5pm – Sandringham Stakes (Handicap) 5.35pm – King Edward VII Stakes 6.10pm – Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes (Handicap)

Saturday, June 20 2.30pm – Chesham Stakes 3.05pm – Hardwicke Stakes 3.40pm – Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1) 4.20pm – Jersey Stakes 5pm – Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) 5.35pm – Golden Gates Stakes (Handicap) 6.10pm – Queen Alexandra Stakes

Who are the Royal Ascot Queen Anne Stakes 2026 runners and riders?

What is the Royal Ascot Gold Cup 2026 prize money?

The 2026 Royal Ascot Gold Cup purse totals £700,000, £396,970 of which is earmarked for the winner. However, it isn't the most lucrative race of the festival.

The Prince of Wales’ Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes are each worth $1m. In both cases the winner will receive a £567,100 share. The Queen Anne Stakes, meanwhile, is worth £800,000, with the winner getting £453,680.

The total Royal Ascot prize fund across the 35 races is £10.65m.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.

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News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
Start exploring exclusive deals, expert advice and more
Unlock and manage exclusive Techradar member rewards
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards