After a Coronavirus-enforced postponement and a change of hosting country, the grand finale of the badminton 2020 season finally takes place this week. Read on for our full guide to getting a Badminton World Tour Finals live stream and watch the tournament online wherever you are right now.
The third annual running of the tournament had been due to take place last month in Guangzhou, China, but heightened Covid-19 restrictions in the region saw organizers push the event into the new year.
The event has also been forced to move to the Impact Arena in Nonthaburiin, Thailand, and follows two back-to-back BWF World Tour Super 1000 tournaments at the venue in January.
Boasting the sport's largest prize pot of the season, with a share of $1,500,000 up for grabs, the Badminton World Tour Finals covers men's and women's singles competitions as well as men's, women's, and mixed doubles competitions, with the top eight players from each category battling out to be crowned champions.
Sadly, both the Chinese and Japanese squads have withdrawn from this year's event due to coronavirus concerns, with two-time reigning world champion, Kento Momota having tested positive for the virus.
That looks likely to lead to a much more open field for this year's tournament, with Danish star Viktor Axelsen and Spain's in-form Olympic champion Carolina Marin installed as top seeds for the Men's and Women's events.
Read on for your full guide to watching a live stream of the Badminton World Tour Finals, no matter where you are in the world.
Badminton World Tour Finals: Where and when?
Taking place between Wednesday, January 27 until Sunday the 31st, play for the opening rounds of play begins at 11am IT local time. That makes it a 4am GMT start in the UK and 11am ET / 8pm PT in the US.
Watch the Badminton World Tour Finals 2020 online from outside your country
We have details of all the US, UK, Australian and Canadian broadcasters of this tournament further down in this guide. If you're intent on watching the Badminton World Tour Finals, but find yourself away from home then you'll run into problems when trying to stream your domestic coverage online from abroad as it's likely to be geo-blocked.
That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be a lifesaver. They allow you to virtually change the ISP of your laptop, tablet, or mobile to one that's back in your home country, letting you watch as if you were back there.
VPN's are incredibly easy to use and have the added benefit of giving you a further layer of security when surfing the web. There are lots of options, and we recommend ExpressVPN as our #1 pick due to its speed, security, and ease of use. It can be used on a vast array of operating systems and devices (e.g. iOS, Android, Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, Roku, games consoles, etc). Sign up for ExpressVPN now now and enjoy a 49% discount and 3 months FREE with an annual subscription. Or give it a try with its 30-day money back guarantee. Looking for other options? Here are some alternatives that are on sale right now.
How to watch the Badminton World Tour Finals 2020 online in the US for free
While no major US TV network will be showing the action from Thailand, the great news is the tournament can be watched live via the Olympic Channel website will be showing live action from the tournament which will be available to viewers in the US.
You can also watch on the go via the Olympic Channel app for Android and iOS, too.
Check full timings and schedule for each round can be found on the Olympic Channel website.
How to stream Badminton World Tour Finals 2020 live in the UK
There's fantastic news for badminton fans in the UK looking to watch the season's grand finale. This year's event will be broadcast live via BT Sport.
Coverage is set to hop between all four of BT Sport 3 and BT Sport ESPN channels throughout the event, so it's worth keeping an eye on the network's schedule or your EPG.
Subscribers can watch online, either through the BT Sport website or by using the BT Sport app - available for iOS and Android. If you don't fancy a long-term commitment, there's now BT Sport's Monthly Pass option, which lets you pay £25 and cancel whenever you want.
If you find yourself unable to access BT Sport's coverage because you're out of the country, remember that you can use a VPN to tune into your usual coverage just like you would at home. Of the many options ExpressVPN, as outlined above, remains one of the best services currently out there.
Live stream Badminton World Tour Finals 2020 live in Australia
No network appears to be providing live coverage of this year's Badminton World Tour Finals 2020 Down Under. But all is not lost as the official BWF Youtube Channel BadmintonWorld.TV YouTube channel will be providing live coverage which unlike some regions, will be available to watch in Australia.
How to stream the Badminton World Tour Finals 2020 live in Canada
As with Australia, no major TV network will be showing the tournament in Canada, but you will be able to watch live coverage via the BadmintonWorld.TV YouTube channel
Live stream Badminton World Tour Finals 2020 live in India
The Star Sports network has exclusive live broadcast rights to the tournament in India. For those looking to stream the action, you'll be able to watch all the play online with a Disney+ Hotstar Premium streaming subscription with subscriptions starting from 299 rupees a month. If you're looking to watch on the go you'll need the Hotstar app which is available via the web, Android, iOS, and Apple TV.
Watch the Badminton World Tour Finals 2021 tournament in China
While a handful of Chinese broadcasters are offering coverage of this year's Badminton World Tour Finals, the simplest way of watching appears to be via CCTV 5, who will be offering full live coverage of the entire tournament.
