The 2026 Tour de France runs from 4 to 26 July, opening in Barcelona with a team time trial and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
For UK viewers it is a landmark edition for the wrong reason: the first Tour in more than twenty years without full end-to-end free-to-air live coverage, after ITV chose not to bid for the rights.
There is still free live racing to be had, though, following announcements in recent weeks. This guide sets out exactly what you can watch without paying, what the full package costs, and how to keep access to your usual coverage while travelling.
Free live coverage in the UK: what S4C offers
S4C confirmed on 1 July that it will show seven stages live in 2026, sublicensed from TNT Sports. The live stages are 1, 2, 3, 18, 19, 20 and 21. That selection covers the Barcelona team time trial opener, the first weekend of racing, both Alpe d'Huez summit finishes and the Paris finale, meaning the stages most likely to decide the general classification are all free to watch.
Six of those stages air on S4C's linear TV channel as well as S4C Clic, BBC iPlayer and S4C Chwaraeon's YouTube channel. Stage 18 is available online only. S4C also provides highlights across all 21 stages on the same platforms.
The coverage is in Welsh, produced by Sunset & Vine, with a presenting team of Rhodri Gomer, Peredur ap Gwynedd, Gruff Lewis and Manon Lloyd offering Welsh and English analysis. This is S4C's 13th consecutive year broadcasting the Tour.
The caveat is an important one – 14 stages, including most of the mountain stages and the stage 16 individual time trial, have no free live option in the UK.
For those who can access the stages, you can see exactly when to tune into the key live stages to see the main action with our overall Tour de France stage guide, or you can use the interactive tool below:
Channel 5 highlights
Channel 5's separate deal with TNT Sports provides free daily highlights at 7pm, running from 2026 through 2028. Between S4C and Channel 5, viewers without a subscription can follow the race's key moments every day, even if the long afternoons in front of live pictures are now a paid experience.
Full live coverage: TNT Sports and HBO Max
Warner Bros. Discovery holds exclusive UK rights through at least 2030. Full live coverage of all 21 stages is on TNT Sports and HBO Max, from £25.99 per month (£30.99 on a rolling month), and is also available through Sky, EE and Virgin Media packages.
This is the first Tour without ITV involvement since 2000, and the first in the UK free-to-air era where no broadcaster offers the complete race on an open signal. We covered how that came about, and what might fill the gap, in June.
Watching from abroad
If you are travelling during the Tour, broadcasters' geo-restrictions will usually block your home coverage. A VPN lets you connect through your home country so you can keep using your existing account, whether that is HBO Max, S4C Clic or a free-to-air service elsewhere, where the service's terms allow it.
Velora Choice: NordVPN
Use a secure VPN connection to watch cycling on your existing subscription services or free streams while you’re away from home. Always follow local laws and your provider’s terms of use.
Our editorial team uses NordVPN by choice, we all purchased it independently to watch cycling races wherever we are.
- 8,400+ VPN servers covering 167+ locations
- One of the fastest VPNs on the market
- Protection from surveillance & cyberthreats
- Use NordVPN on up to 10 devices
How to do it:
- Download NordVPN, our recommended VPN for streaming while travelling.
- Connect to your home country (for example the UK for HBO Max or S4C Clic, Australia for SBS).
- Open your usual broadcaster's site or app and start watching.
Several countries carry the full race free-to-air on official platforms, listed below. If one of these is your home service, the same approach applies.
Where to Watch the Tour de France 2026
| Region | Broadcaster | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | TNT Sports / HBO Max | From £25.99/mo | Full live coverage of all 21 stages. Rolling month £30.99. Also available via Sky, EE and Virgin Media packages. |
United Kingdom (Free) | S4C / Channel 5 | Free | S4C: 7 stages live (Welsh language). Channel 5: daily highlights at 7pm. |
United States | Peacock / NBC Sports | $10.99/mo | All 21 stages live on Peacock. |
Canada | FloBikes | CA$49.99/mo | Exclusive Canadian live coverage via FloSports app. |
Australia | SBS / SBS On Demand | Free | All stages free. Australian postcode required for SBS On Demand account. |
France | France Télévisions | Free | Full free live coverage on France 2 / France 3. |
Belgium | RTBF / VRT | Free | Free live coverage in French and Flemish. |
Netherlands | NOS | Free | Free live coverage. |
Italy | RAI / RAI Play | Free | Free live coverage. |
Spain | RTVE / RTVE Play | Free | Free live coverage. |
Germany | ARD | Free | Free-to-air coverage. |
Ireland | TG4 | Free | Free live coverage. |
Velora never endorses bypassing broadcast rights. A VPN should only be used to access official services, whether paid or free-to-air, while abroad. Always use legitimate platforms: unofficial streams often breach copyright and expose viewers to malware.
The riders to watch
The 2026 Tour covers 3,320.7km across 21 stages with a route built for climbing. Two summit finishes on Alpe d'Huez on consecutive days (stages 19 and 20, both free on S4C) could decide the race, alongside an individual time trial on stage 16. The opening team time trial in Barcelona is the first TTT start to the Tour since 1971.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG) arrives as the clear favourite after losing only once all season. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) is the sole rider expected to challenge him, coming off a controlled Giro d'Italia victory. Behind them, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe), Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG) and 19-year-old Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM) fight for the final podium place.
Quick recap
- S4C shows seven stages live for free (stages 1, 2, 3, 18, 19, 20 and 21), six on TV and all seven online
- Channel 5 airs free daily highlights at 7pm
- Full live coverage requires TNT Sports / HBO Max (from £25.99/mo)
- Travelling abroad? A VPN can maintain access to your home subscription
- Avoid unofficial streams; they are unsafe and breach copyright
Velora only promotes VPN use to maintain access to legitimate, paid, or free-to-air services while abroad.
Cover image credit: A.S.O./Morgan Bove
