How to watch Melbourne Cup 2022 and live stream in Australia and abroad

Horses under starters orders ahead of the Melbourne Cup live stream

(Image credit: Getty Images / Vince Caligiuri)

The dreary conditions at Flemington Racecourse look set to cause havoc at the 162nd running of the Melbourne Cup, the highlight of the Aussie racing calendar. At best, the turf will be soft – at worst, it could be a mudbath after days of unseasonably wild weather, and Montefilia and Gold Trip are amongst the horses that could benefit the most. Read on as our guide tells you how to watch a 2022 Melbourne Cup live stream from anywhere - including FREE options in some places.

Melbourne Cup live stream 2022

Date: Tuesday, November 1

Race start time: 3pm AEDT / 5pm NZDT / 4am GMT / 12am ET / 9pm PT (Mon)

Venue: Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne

Free live stream: 10 Play / Racing.com (AU) | TVNZ On Demand (NZ)

Watch anywhere: try world's #1 VPN 100% risk-free

Global live streams: Sky Sports (UK) | FS2 via Sling TV discount or FREE fuboTV trial (US) | TSN (CA)

They call it the race that stops the nation, but the sodden 3,200m surface may well stop a few of the horses in their tracks. Twenty-four became 23 when Point Nepean was scratched from the race on Monday, and it's far from the only would-be contender that could see its chances go up in smoke even before the starter pistol is fired.

The rain has put a dampener on Deauville Legend who was already a surprise favorite to some seeing as he's never raced in Australia before. The David Payne-trained Montefilia, on the other hand, is right in the mix now, along with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace's Gold Trip, Joseph Pride's Stockman, and Bjorn Baker's Arapaho.

Real of Flowers and High Emocean have fantastic wet-course pedigree too, though they've drawn the outside posts, where the ground looks set to be at its heaviest, so they're going to have to do things the hard way.

With a purse totalling $8 million, $4.4 million of which goes to the winner, it's the richest 'two-mile' handicap in the world, so follow our guide on getting a 2022 Melbourne Cup live stream wherever you are - starting with how to watch the race for FREE in Australia.

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How to watch a FREE Melbourne Cup live stream in Australia

Fans in Australia can tune in to the 2022 Melbourne Cup on free-to-air Network 10. Coverage of Melbourne Cup Day starts at 10am AEDT on Tuesday, ahead of the main race itself at 3pm.

You can also live stream the action on Network 10’s online service 10 Play , which is completely FREE to use. All you need to do is to create a 10 Play account and log in. Australian away from home?

Use a VPN to watch free on 10 Play from abroad.

You can also live stream the 2022 Melbourne Cup on the FREE-to-air Racing.com channel. Available on Freeview, Racing.com's coverage begins at 10.30am.

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How to live stream Melbourne Cup 2022 from outside your country

If you're outside your country of residence - whether that be Australia or anywhere else - and try to stream the racing via your native broadcaster, you'll soon discover that you can't, as it's location restricted. But there is a way to tune in regardless.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it's back at home. That way you can enjoy your home coverage without having to find an illegal stream - assuming you comply with the broadcaster's fine print, of course - specifically its terms and conditions.

Use a VPN to watch Melbourne Cup from anywhere

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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 if you're from Australia, just head to the 10 Play site or app

How to watch 2022 Melbourne Cup FREE in New Zealand

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How to watch a 2022 Melbourne Cup live stream in the UK

The Melbourne Cup is being shown exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK, via the network's Racing channel. Be warned that coverage starts at 11pm GMT on Monday night, ahead of the headline race itself at 4am.

Sky customers with a Sky Sports subscription can also watch the Melbourne Cup on the go on mobile devices via the Sky Go streaming service, which has dedicated apps for iOS, iPadOS and Android devices, along with Xbox and PlayStation consoles. If you want to sign up, you can check out our dedicated guide to Sky TV deals and packages for today's best prices.

If you don't fancy being locked in to a long, expensive contract, consider the more flexible streaming option, Now, (formerly Now TV).

Those outside the UK wanting to watch Melbourne Cup coverage like they would at home needn't worry about geo-blockers, either - as they can just pick up an ExpressVPN trial for 30 days and follow the instructions above to safely live stream the action.

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How to watch the 2022 Melbourne Cup in the US without cable

The Melbourne Cup is set to begin at 12am ET / 9pm PT on Monday night/Tuesday morning, and the event is being shown on FS2 in the US, with coverage getting underway at 10.30pm ET / 7.30pm PT.

If you have the channel as part of your cable package, you can also get a Melbourne Cup live stream directly through the Fox Sports website.

How to watch Melbourne Cup without cable

FS2 is available via the cable-cutting streamer Sling TV, as an $11 per month addon to its Sling Blue package.

Sling TV costs $35 a month thereafter and includes 40+ other channels. There's no contract. You can cancel at any time. And, right now, you can get your first month half-price.

Another over-the-top streaming service that includes FS2 is fuboTV, and best of all it offers a FREE fuboTV trial.

It's a much more comprehensive cable replacement, offering more than 120 other channels on plans starting from $69.99 a month. There's no long-term contract with fuboTV either.

How to live stream 2022 Melbourne Cup in Canada

TSN is the place to watch the 2022 Melbourne Cup in Canada. Coverage begins on TSN 2 at 10.30pm ET / 7.30pm PT on Monday night, ahead of the main race itself at 12am ET / 9pm PT.

If you get the channel as part of your cable deal, you'll be able to log in with the details of your provider and get access to a Melbourne Cup live stream.

If you don't have cable, you can subscribe to TSN on a streaming-only basis from $19.99 a month or $199.90 per year.

If you decide to subscribe or already have, remember you can take your favorite sports streaming service with you wherever you go - just try our No. 1 overall rated VPN 100% risk-free for 30-days and follow the instructions above.

Aatif is a freelance copywriter and journalist based in the UK. He’s written about technology, science and politics for publications including Gizmodo, The Independent, Trusted Reviews and Newsweek, but focuses on streaming at Future, an arrangement that combines two of his greatest passions: sport and penny-pinching.