G’day sports fans. If you’re anything like your mate Joe Fortune here, it is getting very confusing trying to keep up to date on which channels or streaming services you can watch sport or racing on in Australia. You know how it is, every day there’s a new broadcast deal being announced or a new platform becoming available.
With that in mind I’ve got together with the team here at Joe Fortune HQ and pulled together a complete guide to help you out. We’ve had plenty of strong coffee and Anzac biscuits to keep us awake, but I reckon it has been worth it.
Where to Watch Rugby or Footy
Let’s get started with all the Rugby/Footy codes kicking off with AFL and AFLW. This is available to watch for free on the Seven Network, including Channel 7, 7 Mate and its streaming service 7Plus. If you’ve got a Foxtel subscription, then you can also see many games live there along with streaming matches and highlights on the KAYO App too. The current deal is due to run until 2031.
NRL and NRLW is on the NINE Entertainment which includes 9 and 9NOW, if you’re paying for Foxtel then it’s got you covered for many games too and you can also get coverage via the KAYO App as well. State of Origin can be viewed exclusively Live and Free on Channel 9. All these deals run through until 2027, it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next few months as contract talks commence.
Rugby Union, which includes the Wallabies’ series next year against the British and Irish Lions tour in Australia, and all Wallaroos tests and domestic competitions are available on Channel 9, 9NOW and on Stan Sport. I’ll level with you, we haven’t been able to work out how this coverage is split between Live and Free and the subscription services on Stan Sports but hopefully this helps all you rugby fans out there as a starting point! The next Men’s World Cup is in 2027 and whilst I would bet on it being on Channel 9, negotiations and contracts don’t appear to have been finalised at this stage.
Where to Watch Soccer (or Football)
Right then depending on where you were born this is either soccer or football… I’m in the soccer camp! Network Ten along with 10 Play is your Live and Free channel to get your soccer fix! There are also a good number of games on Paramount+ subscription service. This includes the Socceroos’ qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, 2027 AFC Men’s Asian Cup, the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and all Socceroos and Matildas friendlies from 2025 through 2028. The A-League and W-League are both on Paramount+ with these rights running through until 2026.
Now let’s look at the overseas soccer leagues starting with the English Premier League (EPL) and Women’s Super League (WSL). Both these leagues have signed exclusive deals with Optus Sport for six years through until the end of 2028. If you’re wanting to watch the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League then you’ll need a Stan Sport subscription. This deal runs through until the end of the 2027 comp. La Liga, the Spanish League has signed a two-year contract with beIN Sports and Amazon Prime. I’ll level with you the details here are a bit vague but if you’re wanting to watch Barcelona or Real Madrid then we’ve got you in the right spot to confirm the details! One we can be sure about is the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup which is exclusively Live and Free on SBS and the SBS OnDemand streaming service. Let’s just hope the Socceroos under their new coach manage to qualify…
Where to Watch Cricket
After the shock move which saw Cricket leave NINE Entertainment in the latest rights’ deals, the Seven Network and Foxtel picked up all Men’s internationals, Women’s internationals, the BBL and WBBL, with streaming available on 7Plus, Foxtel and KAYO. By my reckoning most of the short-format versions of the sport will be on a subscription basis, whilst Test Matches can be seen Live and Free on Channel 7.
The 2025/26 Ashes Series against the Poms is all live and free on Channel 7 but… the next two away Ashes in 2027 and 2031 will be live and free on Channel 9 – keep a note of this one!
Amazon Prime has landed exclusive coverage of the T20 World Cup 2026 (men’s and women’s), the ODI World Cup 2025 (women’s) and 2027 (men’s). It also has next years’ Champions Trophy (men’s and women’s) and the World Test Championship Final too. Whilst I can’t 100% confirm it but if you’re wanting to watch the IPL in Australia I am pretty sure you’ll find it on KAYO, as it was streamed on this service last season.
Where to Watch Tennis
When it comes to the Grand Slams these have all been available live and free on the NINE and whilst I reckon the Aussie Open is here, the remaining tournaments for 2025 aren’t confirmed anywhere.
As you might be aware the Tennis on Channel 9 tends to show most of our Aussie players so if you’re looking for matches with players from other countries then you’ll need to get a Stan Sport subscription which will give you access to almost every match, be it singles or doubles, in the Grand Slams.
Where to Watch The Olympics
Just before looking at which channels and streaming services show the Olympics Games I thought I’d give a quick mention to one of my most popular online pokies Gates of Olympus. This is based in ancient Greece and if you’re needing a quick break from this rundown what could be better than having a few spins whilst hanging out with Zeus… Nine Entertainment and Stan Sport have got the 2028 Summer Olympics and the Brisbane Games in 2032. Also, both parties have signed up to cover the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics. Channel 9 and 9NOW both provide extensive coverage of live events and highlights but if you’re wanting to pick and choose any event then it is worth getting Stan Sport for the duration of the Games.
Where to Watch UFC and Boxing
If like me and my mates, you enjoy UFC I reckon you’ll probably head to the pub to watch it but if you can’t make it, then you’ll either need a Foxtel or KAYO subscription for some of the UFC Fight Night events. For the bigger fights and events many of these tend to be pay-per-view, details of which are provided on either the Foxtel or KAYO Apps in advance. For Boxing you should check out DAZN which has recently launched in Australia and is a must for fans of the sport and is only $3 per month!
Where to Watch Tour de France
The Tour de France is exclusively live and free on SBS with the current deal for the men’s and women’s races going through until 2030. As part of this deal, you can also find other major European cycling events such as The Giro also on SBS or OnDemand.
Where to Watch Motor Racing
Formula 1, except for the Australian GP, is exclusively on Foxtel and KAYO, this includes all practice sessions, qualifying and main race and goes through until 2025. Channel 10 has the live and free rights to the 2025 Aussie F1 from Albert Park in Melbourne.
MotoGP coverage is shared between Network Ten and Foxtel. If you’re looking for live and free coverage then 10 Play is your go to. Streaming is available through Foxtel and the KAYO App where you can watch practice sessions, qualifying and main races. This deal is in place until 2027.
The Supercars Championship, one of my favourite sports, is shown entirely on Foxtel and the KAYO App. If you’re looking for live and free coverage, the Seven Network has rights to broadcast 6 rounds of the competition each season. This deal is due to finish in 2025, so I’ll be very keen to find out what happens afterwards that is for sure!
Where to Watch Aussie Basketball and Netball
The National Basketball League (NBL) has a deal with Network Ten to broadcast 1 game each round Live and Free on 10Play. All other games along with Super Netball can be found on either Foxtel, or the KAYO App.
Where to Watch Horse Racing
Let’s start with the Melbourne Cup Carnival whose rights were bought by Nine Entertainment for the first time ever! Coverage is live and free on Channel 9 and can also be viewed on Racing.com. If you’re looking to stream races of the week Aussie betting giants Tabcorp own the rights to streaming and have it on its TAB App.
The coverage of the week from Flemington is also on other betting apps but you should check with your bookmaker. The Melbourne Cup Carnival features four days of racing and includes Derby Day, Melbourne Cup Day, Oaks Day and Champion Stakes Day throughout the first week in November. These rights are part of a six-year deal taking it through to 2029.
For the rest of the year, you can see racing every Saturday live and free on Channel 7 featuring the best races in Australia. Thoroughbred Racing from South Australia and Victoria is available live and free every day on Racing.com with all other local racing and international racing available on the Sky Racing Active App which is also free for TAB Account holders.
Foxtel subscription also offers coverage of racing every day through SKY 1 and SKY 2 as well as Sky Thoroughbred Central. You can also watch Racing.com on KAYO too.
Where to Watch Golf
Straight up Golf is one of Foxtel/KAYO’s main sports which it has almost every day of the year. Often I walk into my local pub and there’s some golf tournament from around the world on one screen or another. That said, the new LIV Golf, which is very different, is live and free on 7PLUS. Whilst all the Majors are on Foxtel and KAYO each year 9GEM or 9Now shows key parts of The Masters live and free.
Where to Watch US Sports in Australia
For the most part you’ll need a Foxtel or KAYO subscription to enjoy most of the major US Sports including National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Hockey League (NHL). 7Plus and 7Mate show a decent number of NFL games live and free each season and if you’re a Super Bowl fan then you can watch this on Channel 7.
Joe’s Pro Tip on Watching Sports Down Under
As you can see there’s still plenty of sport and racing you can watch live and free in Australia but jeez you don’t half need to know where to look if you’re wanting to track down sports and stay on top of which streaming services you might need to pay for to enjoy your favourite sporting events! The good news is that these days you aren’t tied into contracts, you have complete flexibility by signing up to a month here and a month there. Just make sure you drop a note in your diary for when you need to cancel as otherwise it dead set can start getting costly…
It is also worth looking out for a few new services which allow you to manage your sports streaming all in one place. I’ve a couple of mates who have said how good the Optus Sports and Hubbl Apps are to allow you to manage your sports streaming services. Whatever your favourite sport to watch from home is, be sure to stay up to date with the latest sporting events coming up in the Fortune Feed, get your beers chilling and enjoy!