How to Watch Rugby World Cup for Free in 2023

How to Watch the Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup 2023 is available on different sports channels, services and free live-streaming websites around the world, but you’ll likely only be able to access the official broadcasters in your location due to geoblocks. 

If you want to access it on another service, can’t access the matches you want or want to access a free Rugby World Cup live stream, a virtual private network (VPN) can help you. Keep reading to find out how.

Rugby League World Cup: What TV Channel Is It On?

There are lots of places you can watch Rugby World Cup matches, but not all channels or services will air all the games. The following table shows all the channels and services where you can watch it, including which country it’s available, if all matches will be shown and if it’s free.

Country	Channel	Free?	All Matches?	Notes
U.S.	NBC Sports Peacock			NBC channel is available on live TV streaming services like Sling TV (Blue) and YouTube TV
U.K.	ITVX			N/A
Australia	9Now Stan Sport Fox Sports			All Australia matches and the finals
Canada	TSN channel TSN+			TSN channel can be found on services like Crave, Shaw and Bell Fibre TV
France	France TV TF1 M6			10 matches inc. France vs Namibia 20 matches inc. all France matches (except France vs Namibia) 18 matches
New Zealand	Sky Open Channel Sky Sport NZ			12 matches (6 delayed)
Denmark	ProSieben MAXX Ran.de			35 matches
Italy	RAI Sky Sport			All Italy matches and most important matches
Spain	Movistar Plus+			N/A
Ireland	RTE Virgin TV			25 matches inc. certain Ireland matches and the final 24 matches inc. certain Ireland matches and the final
South Africa	SuperSport			N/A
Japan	J Sports			Free trial with Prime

Can You Watch the Rugby World Cup for Free?

Yes, you can access the free streaming options mentioned above by using a free VPN or a VPN’s money-back guarantee and getting a refund at the end. We’ll provide suggestions later, as well as a step-by-step guide.

Free Streaming Services Covering the Rugby World Cup

As you can see from the table above, there are plenty of options for watching the Rugby World Cup for free. However, many of the free options only have selected games available. 

If you want to watch all of the games on one service or your local free service doesn’t have the games you want, you can use a VPN to access it elsewhere. For watching every Rugby World Cup match for free, your best bet is ITVX in the U.K. or Ran.de in Denmark.

How to Stream the Rugby World Cup for Free With a VPN

The following how-to will show you how to watch Rugby World Cup live matches for free on ITVX in the U.K. ExpressVPN is the best ITVX VPN, so we’ve used that as our example. Just note that if you want a truly free experience with ExpressVPN, make sure to request a refund within 30 days.

If you want to watch the tournament on a different service but still need to use a VPN, swap the steps where necessary.

1. Sign Up for ExpressVPN

   Go to ExpressVPN’s website and sign up for one of its plans. All plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

   

2. Install ExpressVPN’s App

   Download and install the ExpressVPN App on the device you want to use it on. The ExpressVPN app is compatible with many device types, including streaming devices like Apple TV and certain smart TVs such as Android TV and Fire TV. After installation, launch the app and log into your account.

   

3. Connect to a U.K. Server

   Find and connect to a server in the United Kingdom. Click on the three dots to open the full server list. Then use the search bar or scroll through the list to find a U.K. server. Click on the server and, if needed, click on the big “on” button.

   

4. Go to the ITVX Website

   Go to the ITVX website and click on the person icon in the top right corner. This will take you to the login page, but you can move on to register for a new ITVX account, as shown in the next steps.

   

5. Register for a Free ITVX Account

   Click on “register now” to be taken to the registration page.

   

6. Create Your Free ITVX Account

   Go through the steps and create your free ITVX account. It will ask you for your date of birth (to confirm your age), a valid email address for verification and a U.K. postcode (you can get a random one from Google).

   

7. Start Streaming the 2023 Rugby World Cup Live

   Search for the Rugby World Cup on ITVX and click on the match to start watching it.

   

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The Best VPNs for Watching the Rugby World Cup 

If you need a virtual private network to watch the Rugby World Cup live stream, you need to choose one with fast speeds and the ability to easily unblock your chosen streaming platform. All of our VPN recommendations below have what you need to watch Rugby World Cup 2023 games from anywhere.

1. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN can unblock pretty much anything and with servers in 94 countries, you have a ton of different streaming options to choose from. ExpressVPN’s speeds are excellent too, meaning you won’t have to worry about buffering or poor resolution during the live stream.

ExpressVPN also has great online security and will help protect you even while streaming. It has apps available for almost all devices from mobile to smart TV, and if you want to watch the Rugby World Cup live on any smart devices that don’t support the app, such as Samsung smart TVs or LG smart TVs, you can use ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer feature, which allows you to unblock content without the full app.

The only downside is the price. ExpressVPN is expensive, but it’s totally worth it. You can read our ExpressVPN review for more on the service and take it for a spin using the 30-day money-back guarantee. 

ExpressVPN Plans

• Unlimited GB
• 8
• Yes

30-days money-back guarantee

1-month plan

$12.95/month

6-months plan

$9.99/month

$59.94 billed every 6 month

Save 22%

15-months plan

$6.66/month

$99.95 billed first 15 months and 12 months thereafter

Save 48%

2. NordVPN

You can also use NordVPN to watch Rugby World Cup games. It has servers in 60 countries, giving you a little less choice than ExpressVPN, but still plenty, and it can easily bypass geoblocks. It also often has the fastest worldwide average VPN speeds (see our speed comparison). 

NordVPN’s apps are available for many device types and include an interactive map — just keep in mind that it’s a little hard to navigate on a smaller mobile screen. It also includes strong security features to keep you safe and an ad-blocker to stop those annoying pop-up ads during a live stream.

Unlike ExpressVPN, NordVPN has an affordable long-term plan. Yes, that does mean locking in for two years, but you can make sure you like the service first since you’ll be covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our NordVPN review for more information.

Standard

• Unlimited GB
• 6
• Yes

30-days money-back guarantee

1-month plan

$12.99/month

1-year plan

$4.99/month

$59.88 billed every year

Save 61%

2-year plan

$3.59/month

$86.13 billed every 2 years

Save 72%

3. Windscribe

Our last pick is Windscribe, which is a great option if you need a completely free VPN to stream the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It’s a premium VPN that offers a free plan, albeit with limits. One of those limits is the number of server locations available. Out of the 62 server locations Windscribe offers, free users get access to 11, and that includes the U.S., France and the U.K. for ITVX.

Windscribe can easily access ITVX, which means you have a totally free option for streaming the Rugby World Cup live. However, there is one caveat to this — you only get 15GB of data per month, so it won’t be enough if you want to watch every game of Rugby live.

If you need more data, you can always upgrade to the paid plan and there’s a cheap build-a-plan option that can cost as little as $3 per month (choose two server locations and unlimited data). Aside from that, Windscribe’s speeds are fast, it’s secure and the app is easy to use. Read our Windscribe review for more. 

3-days money-back guarantee

Free

• Up to 15 GB free with email confirmation and Tweet
• 15GB
• Unlimited

FREE

Pro Plan

• Unlimited GB
• Unlimited
• Yes

1-month plan

$9/month

1-year plan

$5.75/month

$69 billed every year

Save 36%

The Rugby League World Cup: Who, Where & When

The host nation for the 2023 Rugby World Cup is France. It’s the first Rugby World Cup to take place entirely in France and the matches will be held in nine stadiums across the country. Here are the nine venues the games will be held at:

• Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
• Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
• OL Stadium, Lyon
• Stade de Marseille, Marseille
• Stade de La Beaujoire, Nantes
• Stade de Nice, Nice
• Stade de France, Saint-Denis
• Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne
• Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse

The qualifying rugby nations taking part in the World Cup have been grouped into four “pools” containing five teams each. After the pool stage, the top two countries will move on to the quarterfinals. We’ve provided a complete schedule further down.

Pool	New Zealand, France, Italy, Namibia & Uruguay
Pool	Ireland, South Africa, Scotland, Tonga & Romania
Pool	Wales, Australia, Georgia, Fiji & Portugal
Pool	England, Japan, Argentina, Samoa & Chile

When Is the Rugby World Cup?

The 2023 Rugby World Cup starts Friday, Sept. 8 and runs until Saturday, Oct. 28. The opening match is between hosts France and New Zealand, and we expect there to be some exciting matches ahead as the best international teams compete for the Webb Ellis Cup.

Rugby World Cup 2023 Schedule

Here is the complete 2023 Rugby World Cup schedule. We’ll update the teams once we know who will play against each other. Times are in ET, so be sure to convert it if you’re elsewhere.

Pool Stage

Date	Match	Time (ET)	Location
Sept. 8	France New Zealand	3:15 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Sept. 9	Italy Namibia	7:00 a.m.	Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne
“	Ireland Romania	9:30 a.m.	Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
“	Australia Georgia	12:00 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint Denis
“	England Argentina	3:00 p.m.	Stade de Marseille, Marseille
Sept. 10	Japan Chile	7:00 a.m.	Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
“	South Africa Scotland	11:30 a.m.	Stade de Marseille, Marseille
“	Wales Fiji	3:00 p.m.	Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
Sept. 14	France Uruguay	3:00 p.m.	Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
Sept. 15	New Zealand Namibia	3:00 p.m.	Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
Sept. 16	Samoa Chile	9:00 a.m.	Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
“	Wales Portugal	11:30 a.m.	Stade de Nice, Nice
“	Ireland Tonga	3:00 p.m.	Stade de La Beaujoire, Nantes
Sept. 17	South Africa Romania	9:00 a.m.	Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
“	Australia Fiji	11:30 a.m.	Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne
“	England Japan	3:00 p.m.	Stade de Nice, Nice
Sept. 20	Italy Uruguay	11:45 a.m.	Stade de Nice, Nice
Sept. 21	France Namibia	3:00 p.m.	Stade de Marseille, Marseille
Sept. 22	Argentina Samoa	11:45 a.m.	Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne
Sept. 23	Georgia Portugal	8:00 a.m.	Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
“	England Chile	11:30 a.m.	Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
“	South Africa Ireland	3:00 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Sept. 24	Scotland Tonga	11:30 a.m.	Stade de Nice, Nice
“	Wales Australia	3:00 p.m.	OL Stadium, Lyon
Sept. 27	Uruguay Namibia	11:45 a.m.	OL Stadium, Lyon
Sept. 28	Japan Samoa	3:00 p.m.	Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
Sept. 29	New Zealand Italy	3:00 p.m.	OL Stadium, Lyon
Sept. 30	Argentina Chile	9:00 a.m.	Stade de La Beaujoire, Nantes
“	Fiji Georgia	11:30 a.m.	Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
“	Scotland Romania	3:00 p.m.	Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
Oct. 1	Australia Portugal	11:30 a.m.	Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne
“	South Africa Tonga	3:00 p.m.	Stade de Marseille, Marseille
Oct. 5	New Zealand Urugua	3:00 p.m.	OL Stadium, Lyon
Oct. 6	France Italy	3:00 p.m.	OL Stadium, Lyon
Oct. 7	Wales Georgia	9:00 a.m.	Stade de La Beaujoire, Nantes
“	England Samoa	11:30 a.m.	Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
“	Ireland Scotland	3:00 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Oct. 8	Japan Argentina	7:00 a.m.	Stade de La Beaujoire, Nantes
“	Tonga Romania	11:30 a.m.	Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille
“	Fiji Portugal	3:00 p.m.	Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse

Quarter-Finals

Date	Match	Time	Location
Oct. 14	Winner Pool C Runner-Up Pool D	11:00 a.m.	Stade de Marseille, Marseille
“	Winner Pool B Runner-Up Pool A	3:00 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint Denis
Oct. 15	Winner Pool D Runner-Up Pool C	11:00 a.m.	Stade de Marseille, Marseille
“	Winner Pool A Runner-Up Pool B	3:00 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint Denis

Semi-Finals

Date	Match	Time	Location
Oct. 20	Winner QF 1 Winner QF 2	3:00 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint Denis
Oct. 21	Winner QF 3 Winner QF 4	3:00 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint Denis

Third Place Match

Date	Match	Time	Location
Oct. 27	Runner-Up SF 1 Runner-Up SF 2	3:00 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint Denis

2023 Rugby World Cup Final

Date	Match	Time	Location
Oct. 28	Winner SF 1 Winner SF 2	3:00 p.m.	Stade de France, Saint Denis

Final Thoughts: Rugby League World Cup

That’s it, rugby fans, you have everything you need to know about how to watch Rugby World Cup games. The RWC 2023 opening match is on Sept. 8 and the tournament finishes Oct. 28, and you can watch all the Rugby World Cup action for free on ITVX in the U.K. or Ran.de in Denmark.

If you’re not in any of those countries or want to watch it on a specific network that’s not available in your location, you can use a VPN to get access. ExpressVPN is the best choice and its 30-day money-back guarantee means you can use it risk-free.

Which streaming service or TV channel will you use to watch Rugby World Cup 2023 games? Will you need to use a VPN to watch it? If so, which VPN will you use? Let us know in the comment section and, as always, thank you for reading.

FAQ: Rugby World Cup 2023 

• Where Can I Watch World Cup Rugby in USA?

  NBC is the official broadcaster for the Rugby World Cup coverage in the U.S. Matches will air on the NBC Sports channel and NBC’s streaming service, Peacock.

• How Can I Watch France vs New Zealand Rugby in USA?

  The NBC Sports channel and Peacock have the France vs New Zealand 2023 Rugby World Cup match.

• What Time Is the Opening of the Rugby World Cup 2023?

  The Rugby World Cup 2023 starts Friday, Sept. 8 at 2 p.m. ET with a special Opening Ceremony at the Stade de France.

• Who Is Hosting Rugby World Cup 2023?

  The 2023 Rugby World Cup is being hosted by France and will be the first time it is hosted entirely by the country.

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