How to watch The Open 2026: Free Live Streams & TV Channels — Round 1 | Tech Radar
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How to watch The Open 2026: Free Live Streams, TV Channels & Preview — Round 1
Golf's final men's major of the year returns to Royal Birkdale as Scottie Scheffler and Rory Mc Ilroy go for glory
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(Image credit: Oisin Keniry/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
The Open 2026: Thursday, July 16 to Sunday, July 19 | 1.35am ET / 6.35am BST
Stream on Peacock / NBC & USA Network via Sling TV (US)
Watch The Open 2026 live streams, as the oldest golf tournament in the world returns for its 154th staging, at the links of Royal Birkdale. Scottie Scheffler will defend his crown won 12 months ago, while Rory Mc Ilroy and local favorite Tommy Fleetwood – born minutes away in nearby Southport – are also among the leading contender's for golf's original major.
After winning by four strokes at Royal Portrush in 2025, Scheffler is trying to become the first Open champion to successfully defend their crown since Padraig Harrington in 2008-09. Yet the world number one will be smarting from missing his first cut in 78 tournaments after failing to make the weekend at the Scottish Open a week ago. He'll tee it up with world number three Matt Fitzpatrick and 2024 champion Xander Schauffele.
Fleetwood is seeking to become the first English winner of the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo in 1992. He goes out in a stellar group with 2021 champion Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth, who won the last time the tournament was held at Royal Birkdale in 2017. Further home hopefuls include Aaron Rai, the reigning PGA Champion, and Justin Rose who exploded as an amateur here in 1998.
Rory Mc Ilroy will also fancy his chances. The two-time reigning Masters champion finished strongly at the Scottish Open last weekend, with a final-round 64.
Blessed with a beautiful art deco clubhouse, the course is a cracker and conditions are set to be warm, which will bring its own challenge of controlling the ball on a links course by the sea.
Read on for our guide on where to watch The Open 2026 online, on TV and potentially for free wherever you are. Scroll down for the Round 1 tee times.
The Open coverage is predominantly locked behind a paywall, but there are a couple of ways to watch some free live streams from Royal Birkdale.
The Open app (available via the Apple Store and Google Play) will show coverage from Featured Groups over the course of the four days.
Alternatively, you can live stream The Open 2026 on Peacock for next to nothing by taking advantage of the Walmart Plus 30-day trial for $1.
Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch the Open Championship 2026 for free as if you were right at home.
A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend Nord VPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.
Not having a VPN is like leaving your front door wide open in a busy city – anyone can walk right in and take a peek.
Tech Radar regularly reviews all the biggest and best VPN providers and Nord VPN is our #1 choice.
✅ Up to 75% off today ✅ 3 extra months free ✅ Unlocks all necessary streaming services
Get Nord VPN and stream The Open 2026 from anywhere.
How to watch The Open 2026 live streams in the US
The Open 2026 coverage is shared between NBC, USA Network and Peacock in the US. All NBC coverage is being simulcasted on Peacock.
Rounds 1 and 2 air on NBC Sports Network/Peacock from 1.30am-4am, and on USA Network from 4am-3.30pm. Round 3 airs on USA from 5am-7am, and on NBC/Peacock from 7am-3pm. Round 4 airs on USA from 4am-7am, and on NBC/Peacock from 7am-finish. All times ET.
The Peacock price starts at
NBC and USA Network, meanwhile, are 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, FX and more.
If you're traveling outside of the US, you can make use of Nord VPN to catch the action.
How to watch The Open 2026 live streams in the UK
In the UK, The Open Championship 2026 is being shown on Sky Sports, via the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Golf channels.
Sky Sports plans start from £35/month, or £20 if you're an existing Sky subscriber. Alternatively, grab a Now Sports subscription from £14.99/day or £34.99/month.
Outside the UK right now? Use Nord VPN to access your preferred coverage of The Open Championship.
How to watch The Open 2026 live streams in Australia
In Australia, The Open 2026 is being televised on Fox Sports via Foxtel, with live streaming available via Kayo Sports.
If you're currently out of Australia but want to watch your usual Open coverage, you'll need to get yourself a VPN, as per the instructions above.
How to watch The Open 2026 live streams in Canada
If you don't have cable, the TSN Plus streaming service costs CA
If you're out of Canada but still want to tune in, explore the VPN route set out above, which will help you access your accounts from anywhere.
6:35 a.m. Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas
6:46 a.m. Michael Kim, David Hillier, Andy Sullivan
7:19 a.m. Robert Mac Intyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick
7:30 a.m. David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate
7:41 a.m. Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee*
8:03 a.m. Francesco Molinari, Tom Mc Kibbin, Lev Grinberg*
8:14 a.m. Hennie du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury
8:25 a.m. Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini*
8:36 a.m. Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren
8:47 a.m. Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth
9:14 a.m. Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard
9:25 a.m. Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee
9:36 a.m. Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland
9:58 a.m. Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson De Chambeau
10:09 a.m. Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm
10:31 a.m. Ryan Gerard, Maverick Mc Nealy, David Puig
10:42 a.m. Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard*
10:53 a.m. Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt
11:04 a.m. MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack Mc Donald
11:15 a.m. Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagamo, Alejandro De Castro Piera*
11:41 a.m. John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen
11:52 a.m. Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman
12:03 p.m. Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter
12:14 p.m. Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan*
12:25 p.m. Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama
12:36 p.m. Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber
12:47 p.m. Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger
12:58 p.m. Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis
1:20 p.m. Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick
1:42 p.m. Johnny Keefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima
1:53 p.m. Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svensson, Jack Buchanan
2:09 p.m. Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert
2:20 p.m. Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, JT Poston
2:42 p.m. Collin Morikawa, JJ Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard
3:04 p.m. Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg
3:15 p.m. Rory Mc Ilroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick
3:26 p.m. Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedmeyer*
3:37 p.m. Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echevarria
3:48 p.m. Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta
3:59 p.m. Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow
4:10 p.m. Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik
6:46 a.m. Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman
6:57 a.m. Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter
7:08 a.m. Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan
7:19 a.m. Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama
7:30 a.m. Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber
7:41 a.m. Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger
7:52 a.m. Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis
8:14 a.m. Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick
8:36 a.m. Johnny Keefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima
8:47 a.m. Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svensson, Jack Buchanan
9:03 a.m. Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert
9:14 a.m. Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, JT Poston
9:36 a.m. Collin Morikawa, JJ Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard
9:58 a.m. Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg
10:09 a.m. Rory Mc Ilroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick
10:20 a.m. Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer,
10:31 a.m. Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria
10:42 a.m. Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta
10:53 a.m. Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow
11:04 a.m. Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen
11:41 a.m. Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry James Nicholas
11:52 a.m. Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan
12:25 p.m. Robert Mac Intyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick
12:36 p.m. David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate
12:47 p.m. Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee
1:09 p.m. Francesco Molinari, Tom Mc Kibbin, Lev Grinberg
1:20 p.m. Hennie du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester Barrio, Dan Bradbury
1:42 p.m. Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren
1:53 p.m. Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth
2:20 p.m. Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard
2:31 p.m. Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee
2:42 p.m. Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland
3:04 p.m. Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson De Chambeau
3:37 p.m. Ryan Gerard, Maverick Mc Nealy, David Puig
3:59 p.m. Antoine Rozner. Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt
4:10 p.m. MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack Mc Donald
4:21 p.m. Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera
2025 – Scottie Scheffler 2024 – Xander Schauffele 2023 – Brian Harman 2022 – Cameron Smith 2021 – Collin Morikawa 2020 – N/A 2019 – Shane Lowry 2018 – Francesco Molinari 2017 – Jordan Spieth 2016 – Henrik Stenson
Of course! Each of the major broadcasters has streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone's browser.
And, as we've mentioned above you can watch action from Featured Groups at the tournament on The Open app (available via the Apple Store and Google Play).
You can also stay up-to-date with all of the key highlights on the PGA's official social media channels on You Tube (@PGATour), Instagram (@PGATour), Tik Tok (@PGATour) and Facebook (@PGATour).
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.
Andy Murray is an award-winning writer and columnist, voted the Consumer Journalist of the Year at the 2015 PPA New Talent Awards. A fluent Spanish speaker and former semi-professional footballer, he was senior staff writer of world-leading football magazine Four Four Two from 2012 to 2019 and continues to write and edit for them, national newspapers, websites, the Olympic Games and Premier League clubs.
An avid music lover since an existential introduction to The Bends by Radiohead aged 10, he has been a Glastonbury regular for decades and always lends an ear to the latest tech. For the past three years, he has tested products, subedited reviews and delved deep into the minutiae of VPNs for Tech Radar.
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Key Takeaways
- 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
