The highest-profile badminton event on the calendar, the BWF World Championships, brings together world-class players for seven days of exhilarating action. It's FREE to watch on YouTube in in the US, while UK fans can catch a paid stream on TNT Sports. Travelling outside the US? Use a VPN to watch free from anywhere.
Dates: August 21 - 27
Venue: Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
FREE live stream: YouTube (US, Canada, Australia)
UK stream: TNT Sports
China stream: Youku
Watch FREE from anywhere: Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free
Taking place at Copenhagen’s Royal Arena, players will be battling it out for world titles in divisions including men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles. The format for these finals consists of three best-of-three games, each played to 21 points, that will no doubt be full of dramatic rallies and clever strategies.
In the men’s event, all eyes will be on defending champion Viktor Axelson, who is bidding to become the first Dane to win a singles world title on home soil. The 29-year-old is also the reigning Olympic champion and will start off the defence of his World Championships crown against Ireland’s Nhat Nguye.
Elsewhere in a highly-competitive field, a standout first-round clash sees Jonatan Christie take on Lee Zii Jia and Ng Tze Yong face Zhao Jun Peng, while top seeds such as Anthony Sinisuka Ginting and Anders Antonsen will be looking to go deep in the tournament.
In the women’s singles, second seed Akane Yamaguchi is the defending champion, while the firm favourite and new world number one An Se Young is in the same half of the draw as Australian Open champion Beiwen Zhang. Other contenders for the title include the Chinese trio of Chen Yu Fei, He Bing Jiao and Wang Zhi Yi, all of whom are top 10 seeds.
When it comes to the men’s doubles, Olympic champions Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin will be a serious threat to defending champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, as will home hopes Jeppe Bay and Lasse Moelhede. In the women’s event, Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan are chasing a fourth world title, as are Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong in the mixed doubles.
It’s set to be a fascinating seven days, and you can follow our guide to get a badminton live stream from all over the world - including how to watch the BWF World Championships free online in many countries.
How to watch a FREE badminton live stream
- Related: discover today's best YouTube VPNs
How to watch Badminton World Championships from outside your country
We've set out below the ways you can live stream Badminton World Championships action in a number of countries around the world. However, if you're away travelling for work or pleasure, you probably won't be able to tune in like you normally would at home.
That's the result of geo-blocking - best understood as digital borders that restrict certain services and content to certain parts of the world. A good streaming VPN can let you get around these digital borders, while also offering robust protection from cybercriminals and government snooping.
Use a VPN to live stream badminton from anywhere
Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three...
1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top choice is ExpressVPN
2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the appropriate location
3. Go to the broadcaster's live stream - so, in this case, just head to YouTube
Badminton World Championships live stream 2023: how to watch badminton online in India
For badminton fans in India there are a couple of ways to watch the World Championships as we'd expect Jio TV to serve up a free live stream, as it did last year.
However, if you are visiting India from the US, you can always use a VPN to watch the free YouTube live stream.
How to watch a Badminton World Championships live stream in China
Badminton fans based in China can tune into the 2023 Badminton World Championships on Youku.
Play gets underway at 4pm CST on most days of the tournament.
If there are any internet-related obstacles in your way or if you want to access your preferred feed from outside of China, you can use a VPN to watch the badminton wherever you are.
- Related: all of the best VPNs for China
How to watch 2023 Badminton World Championships: live stream in the UK
The 2023 Badminton World Championships is being shown on TNT Sports in the UK, with live coverage typically starting at 8am BST and running deep into the evening.
For customers who subscribe to TNT Sports directly through Discovery+, the price starts at £29.99 per month and includes Eurosport and a whole host of entertainment.
If you find yourself outside the UK and want to watch the Badminton World Championships like you would at home, don't worry about geo-blocks on your account – simply grab a VPN and follow the instructions above to live stream the action.
