How to watch badminton at Tokyo Olympics: Schedule, channels and more

How to watch badminton at Tokyo Olympics
(Image credit: Alexander Nemenov/Getty Images)

Badminton is one of the most fun sports to watch in any Olympics. But the competition is also fierce. The 2021 Tokyo Olympics sees players vying for gold medals in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Tokyo Olympics badminton key dates and times

Mixed Doubles Final: Friday, July 30 @ 2:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. BST.
Men's Doubles Final: Saturday, July 31 @ 5 a.m. ET. Full schedule below.
• U.S. — Stream live on NBCOlympics.com or Peacock, games also on NBCSN via Sling or Fubo.TV
• U.K. — Watch on Discovery+
• Watch anywhere — Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free

The strongest contenders hail from China, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Denmark, while Team USA looks to earn its first-ever badminton medal since it became an Olympic sport in 1992. 

Next up on Friday is the mixed doubles gold medal match between two teams from China: Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong vs Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping. Saturday brings the men's doubles gold medal match.

Here's everything you need to watch badminton at the Tokyo Olympics, including the remaining schedule of badminton finals.

How to watch badminton at the Tokyo Olympics from anywhere in the world

The Olympics is a global event and can be viewed in almost every country on Earth. However, if you're not in your home country and can't watch the Tokyo Olympics' badminton matches with your usual services — or you want to watch in your native language — you're not out of luck. 

With a virtual private network, or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access the same streaming services you already paid for. They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. 

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service. But you've got other VPN options as well.

ExpressVPN

We think speed, security and simplicity make ExpressVPN second to none. During our tests, we saw fast connection times, and we're impressed by the service's ability to access more than 3,000 services spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries. Plus, its 30-day money-back guarantee is a good perk.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to your website or streaming service of choice and tune in.

How to watch badminton at the Tokyo Olympics live in the US

How to watch badminton at the Tokyo Olympics US flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Anyone who wants to watch badminton matches from the Tokyo Olympics live ... well, you're going to have to be up late (the live schedule is below), and have a cable login, because NBCOlympics.com requires one. Some games will also air on NBCSN sometimes at reasonable hours (though often rebroadcast on tape delay).

And coverage on Peacock may include live streaming of the badminton matches as well as nightly highlights as well. 

NBCSN is part of the $35 per month Sling TV Blue package, and Olympics-watchers will want the Blue package, which also has NBC. The Olympic Channel is also available as a $11 per month add-on. 

Sling is one of the best streaming services alongside our other recommendation for Olympics viewing: Fubo TV, which has 100-plus channels (many more than Sling), including all of the above networks. 

Peacock
A must for live Team USA men's games

In addition to the Olympics live streams, Peacock also has huge library of licensed content drawn from various brands. That includes shows like 30 Rock, The Voice, Battlestar Galactica, Law & Order: SVU and This Is Us.

Sling TV:
Cheaper Live TV

Sling TV: You can get NBC, USA and NBCSN in the Sling Blue package, which is $35/month — plus the Olympic Channel in the Sports Extra package ($11 per month extra).

Fubo TV 7-day free trial

Fubo TV has NBC, USA, NBCSN and the Olympic Channel all its base $65 per month package. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front. Fubo's dozens of channels include local networks like ABC. 

How to watch badminton at the Tokyo Olympics in the UK

How to watch badminton at the Tokyo Olympics in the UK - British flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

To watch every event live in the UK, Brits will want to subscribe to Discovery Plus, which is offering full coverage of Tokyo 2020; all of the Olympics badminton games will be on the service. 

Discovery is currently offering a three-day free trial of the service, with full subscriptions available for £6.99/month or £29.99/year after that. Plus, the service is available to stream through a multitude of devices include Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV and apps for iOS and Android.

The BBC iPlayer has been the go-to source for all Olympics coverage for those in the U.K., but things have changed.

The BBC no longer has the monopoly on Olympics coverage in the U.K., after the IOC sold the main European rights to the Discovery network. As a result, the BBC's coverage, though still good, is limited to no more than two live events at one time. 

Americans abroad can just use the service of their choice, provided they log in via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

How to watch badminton at the Tokyo Olympics live in Canada

How to watch badminton at the Tokyo Olympics live in Canada

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Details about watching badminton live in Canada are a bit thin. Sportsnet, CBC and TSN are sharing coverage of the Olympics, and so we've got some, but not all, of the info you may need.

Again, Americans visiting their friends in the great white north could just use Peacock, Sling, Fubo and other services, provided they log in via a VPN such as ExpressVPN.

How to watch badminton at the Tokyo Olympics live in Australia

How to watch olympic badminton - Australian flag

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Down Under, Aussies can watch the Olympic badminton matches for free on the 7Plus network's streaming service — which has practically everything in the Olympics. Just add 14 hours to the Eastern times listed below to figure out when games start in AEST. 

Currently out of the country? Use ExpressVPN to access your paid-for services.

Tokyo Olympics badminton schedule

Mixed Doubles Final: Friday, July 30 @ 2:30 a.m. ET

Men's Doubles Final: Saturday, July 31 @ 5 a.m. ET

Women's Singles Final: Sunday, August 1 @ 7:30 a.m. ET  

Women's Doubles Final: Monday, August 2 @ 12 a.m. ET    

Men's Singles Final: Monday, August 2 @ 7 a.m. ET   

Kelly Woo
Streaming Editor

Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.