After a much-disrupted season, professional badminton's World Tour Finals finally take place in Thailand this week. Originally scheduled to take place in China last month, Covid-19 forced a change in plans and the last three events of the 2020 season have instead been played in a bubble at the Impact Arena in Nonthaburiin this January. Read on to find how get a badminton live stream and watch the World Tour Finals online wherever you are in the world right now.
Now taking place between January 27 and 31, the tournament sees the top eight players and pairs from each discipline (men's singles, women’s singles, mixed doubles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles) battle it out for badminton's biggest paycheck of the season, with a share of a $1,500,000 prize pot up for grabs.
Dates: Wednesday, January 27 - Sunday, January 31
Venue: Impact Arena, Bangkok, Thailand
Badminton live stream: BT Sport (UK-only)
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The pandemic has unfortunately meant some of the sport’s biggest names will be absent this year, with current men’s world champ Momota Kento forced to withdraw having tested positive for the virus en route to Thailand. Now, Danish star Viktor Axelsen is being widely tipped to clinch the men’s title, having won the last two Super 1000 tournament titles played in Thailand leading up to the World Tour Finals.
Currently on an unbeaten streak of 28 matches, a win in Thailand would mark an incredible turnaround for the Dane, having spent a huge chunk of the season on the sidelines following major ankle surgery.
Also among those looking to make it three wins in a row in Thailand is the in-form Spanish star and reigning Olympic Women’s champ Carolina Marin. Still chasing the first World Tour Finals title of her career, she beat top seed Tai Tsu Ying twice in back-to-back Super 1000 finals earlier this month
Follow our guide below to see how easy it is to get a badminton live stream from all over the world - including how to watch the Badminton World Tour Finals free online in many countries.
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How to watch a free badminton World Tour Finals live stream on YouTube
If you don't live in a country where the tournament is being broadcast via linear TV, (places like Australia and Spain being examples), the good news is that many people can get a 100% free and open badminton World Tour Finals live stream on YouTube via the BWF TV YouTube channel , with YouTube apps widely available for most modern devices including smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs, Macs, Smart TVs, consoles and more.
The content is restricted in most countries where the tournament is set to be shown by local broadcasters (places like the UK and US), so if you happen to be travelling at the time and still want to keep up with a badminton live stream on YouTube then you'll need a VPN. Otherwise, you'll be restricted to the highlights being shown in countries where rights to live badminton coverage is owned by one of the local networks.
How to watch a Badminton World Tour Finals live stream from abroad
If you're out of the country this week and find your domestic coverage unavailable where you are, then there are still many ways to watch a Badminton World Tour Finals live stream.
Scroll down to see various international viewing options, but if it's geo-blocking that's stopping you from getting your badminton live stream fired up, then we think we can help.
The solution to this and many other common internet grievances comes in the form of a VPN - a handy bit of software that lets you relocate the IP address of your device to practically anywhere in the world. It's the best way we know of to take your favourite streaming services and content away with you on holiday or business.
Here's our top pick and how to get started.
Use a VPN to live stream badminton from anywhere
How to watch a Badminton World Tour Finals live stream in the UK
How to watch a Badminton World Tour Finals live stream in India
How to watch a Badminton World Tour Finals live stream in the US
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How to watch the Badminton World Tour Finals 2021 tournament in China
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