Grand National live stream 2022: how to watch online from anywhere, TV channel

Forty runners, 30 fences and wave upon wave of frothing spruce. The Grand National at Aintree Racecourse is the most famous steeplechase in the world and an all-out assault on the senses. The tension is building today towards the race which gets going at 5.15pm BST. You can read on as our guide tells you how to watch a 2022 Grand National free live stream in the UK and Ireland online and on TV channels too. Traveling abroad? Watch the Grand National for free from anywhere with a VPN (opens in new tab).

The huge field of runners and riders will thunder across 4 miles and 514 yards of grass racetrack, churning up great sods of turf as they go and bounding up and over 16 fences and the deep, ankle-buckling ditches beyond - 14 of them twice.

The most infamous of these are the Open Ditch (3 and 19), Becher's Brook (6 and 22), The Chair (15) and, when the aching limbs and joints can barely take any more, the king-maker and the spirit-breaker - Fence 30.

Rachael Blackmore triumphed on Minella Times at last year's race, which was closed to spectators, and the Irish jockey, who's dominated the Cheltenham Festival for the past two years, is back to claim the fanfare she was denied 12 months ago.

Follow our guide as we explain how to get a 2022 Grand National live stream from anywhere - including for FREE in the UK and Ireland. We've also listed the Grand National schedule below.

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2022 Grand National schedule: races and times

All times are given in BST

Saturday, April 9

• 2.25pm - Mersey Novices’ Hurdle Race
• 3.00pm - Maghull Novices’ Steeple Chase
• 3.35pm - Liverpool Hurdle Race
• 4.15pm - Handicap Steeple Chase
• 5.15pm - Grand National Handicap Steeple Chase

How to watch 2022 Grand National: live stream for FREE

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The great news for horse racing fans is that the 2022 Grand National is being shown on free-to-air TV, with ITV the channel to tune into.

ITV's coverage begins at 1pm BST on Saturday afternoon, with the Grand National steeplechase itself scheduled for 5.15pm.

You can also live stream the Grand National on ITV Hub (opens in new tab), which has an excellent app that's available on nearly everything that plugs in these days - just give it a search on your device, phone or console of choice.

Not in the UK right now? No worries - you can download and install a VPN (opens in new tab) to port yourself back home to tune in as normal.

How to watch Grand National 2022 from outside your country

We've recommended some of the best places to live stream Grand National racing, but you might run into a problem trying to access them if you're outside of your country. This is because of something called geo-blocking.

Simply follow our VPN advice below and you'll soon be around that issue with a great bit of software that allows you to relocate your device back to your country of residence - thereby regaining access to all the streaming services and content you normally enjoy at home.

Use a VPN to live stream Grand National from anywhere

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How to use a VPN

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, eg: 'UK' for iPlayer and ITV Hub.

3. Go to the broadcaster's stream - head to your home broadcaster's site or app and watch as if you were at home - ITV Hub (opens in new tab) for UK citizens abroad.

How to watch 2022 Grand National: live stream FREE in Ireland 

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The 2022 Grand National is being shown for FREE on Virgin Media One in Ireland, with the race set to begin at 5.15pm IST on Saturday afternoon.

This means you can also live stream the Grand National using Virgin Media Player (opens in new tab) - or check out its TV Anywhere app, which is available for nearly all modern devices including smartphones, tablets, computers and more.

Virgin Media One is showing all of the action from the 2022 Grand National, with coverage beginning at 2pm on the day.

Outside of Ireland? Watch Grand National racing online just like you would at home with the help of a quality VPN (opens in new tab).

• Related: how to watch a Champions League live stream

How to watch a Grand National live stream in Canada

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Fans of the horses in Canada can live stream the 2022 Grand National on the CBC Sports website (opens in new tab).

Coverage starts at 9am ET / 6am PT on Saturday morning, with the main race set to begin at 12.15pm ET / 9.15am PT.

Canadians outside of the country can follow the VPN route (opens in new tab) set out above and tune in to their service of choice regardless of where they are right now. 

2022 Grand National live stream: how to watch in Australia

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In Australia, premium TV provider Foxtel (opens in new tab) has the rights to the 2022 Grand National, with the action set to be shown on Sky Racing.

Be warned though, the race itself is set to get underway at 2.15am AEST in the very early hours of Sunday morning. 

Not in Australia? Aussies abroad looking to watch a Grand National live stream should find that a good VPN (opens in new tab) helps them access their home streaming services wherever they are.