Why You Can Trust CNET How to Watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup Live From Anywhere
Seven weeks of rucking action await in France.
Twenty of the planet's best teams are ready to ruck and scrum for the Webb Ellis Cup as France host the 2023 edition of the Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand come into the tournament as favorites as they look to claim the crown of world champions for a fourth time. The All Blacks will have plenty of competition this time out, with the host heavily fancied alongside Six Nations grand slam champions Ireland.
The smart money may, however, be on defending champs South Africa, who looked in ominously good form as they inflicted a record 35-7 defeat on New Zealand at Twickenham last month.
Below, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch every match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, no matter where you are in the world.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup: When and where?
The 2023 Rugby World Cup takes place in France over seven weeks, starting with the opening fixture between the hosts and New Zealand on Sept. 8, and ending with the final at the Stade de France in Paris on Oct. 28.
How to watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the tournament locally, you may need a different way to watch this match -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Australia, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free -- the equivalent of $6.67 per month -- if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream the 2023 Rugby World Cup in the US
Select Rugby World Cup 2023 matches are being broadcast in the US on CNBC and NBC. However, the best option for watching the tournament is via streaming service Peacock, which is showing every match live. You'll need a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to catch games live.
NBC's streaming service, Peacock, offers access to all the matches of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. You'll need to be signed up with a Peacock Premium or Premium Plus account to stream games live, which costs $6 a month or $60 per year.
Watch the 2023 Rugby World Cup for free in the UK
Rugby fans in the UK are among the luckiest in the world, as all matches of the Rugby World Cup in France will be shown live on free-to-air channels ITV1 and ITV4. This means viewers in the UK will be able to stream every game for free on ITVX.
ITV's streaming online streaming service is free to viewers in the UK, with dedicated apps available for Apple and Android devices as well as most smart TVs.
Stream the 2023 Rugby World Cup for free in Australia
Games involving the Wallabies, as well as the final, are set to be broadcast for free on terrestrial station Channel 9. That also means viewers can watch livestreams of those games on the 9Now streaming service. For more comprehensive coverage of the tournament, pay-TV streaming platform Stan Sport will be showing every match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, ad-free.
Channel 9's streaming service 9Now is free to use for viewers in Australia, with dedicated apps for Android and Apple devices, as well as Amazon Fire, plus a wide range of smart TVs.
Stan Sport will set you back AU$10 per month (on top of a AU$10 Stan subscription), but the streaming service is currently offering a seven-day free trial.
A subscription will also give you access to UEFA soccer action, as well as Grand Slam tennis and Formula E.
Stream the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Canada
Comprehensive live coverage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup will be available in Canada via TSN. Cord cutters can watch via the network's streaming service TSN Plus.
TSN Plus is a new direct streaming service, boasting exclusive coverage of PGA Tour Live golf, NFL games, F1, Nascar and the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments. Ideal for cord cutters, the service is priced at CA$20 a month or CA$200 per year.
Stream the 2023 Rugby World Cup for free in New Zealand
Pay TV broadcaster Sky Sport has broadcast rights to show every 2023 Rugby World Cup game live in New Zealand. However, six matches are being shown for free on Freeview channel Sky Open (formerly Prime).
You can watch select games from the Rugby World Cup, including five games from the closing stages of the tournament, for free in New Zealand on terrestrial channel Sky Open.
That also means you'll be able to livestream games via the channel's website -- you just need to provide your name, postcode and email address.
Pay-TV broadcaster Sky Sport will be showing every 2023 Rugby World Cup game in New Zealand. That also means you can also watch every game online using the network's Sky Go streaming service.
Stream the 2023 Rugby World Cup in South Africa
In South Africa, every match of the tournament is being shown on SuperSport.
If you're not going to be able to watch on your TV, you can also watch via the network's streaming service for PC and Mac, as well as via SuperSport's mobile app.
Pay TV network SuperSport boasts exclusive live coverage of all the rugby action in France.
Quick tips for streaming the 2023 Rugby World Cup using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming the Rugby World Cup action live may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
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