How to watch World Tour Finals badminton live streams online from anywhere

Close up of badminton racket and shuttlecock as player is about to serve

(Image credit: Shi Tang/Getty Images)

The cream of the BWF World Tour badminton crop are in action in Bali for the season-ending World Tour Finals - a top-class, undiluted festival of badminton that will determine the very best of the best. It's the final tournament of the year, so read on as we explain how get a 2021 World Tour Finals live stream and watch BWF badminton online from anywhere this week - including where to stream it absolutely free!

Badminton World Tour Finals live stream

Dates: December 1 - 5

Venue: Bali International Convention Center, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia

FREE live stream: YouTube (in most countries)

Global live streams: Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar (IN) | CCTV (CH) | BT Sport (UK)

Watch anywhere: try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free

Making matters even more intriguing are China's total absence from the competition. Plus, the host nation's expectations for their second ever World Tour Finals triumph, with Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo the favourites for the men's doubles.

Meanwhile, the tournament is shaping up as something of a rivalry-decider for Viktor Axelsen and Kento Momota, who took the Indonesia Open and Indonesia Masters last month.

India hasn't won an honor at the World Tour Finals since P. V. Sindhu's 2018 victory and she once again carries the hopes of her nation, though she'll need to come through a stacked field featuring Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong and Busanan Ongbamrungphan, Japan's Akane Yamaguchi, and Korea's An Se-young to have any hope of pulling off a repeat.

It's set to be a whirlwind five days, and you can follow our guide to get a badminton live stream from all over the world - including how to watch the World Tour Finals free online in many countries.

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How to watch a FREE badminton live stream

If you don't live in a country where the tournament is being shown by a big-name broadcaster, the good news is that many people can get a 100% free badminton World Tour Finals live stream on YouTube.

YouTube is, of course, completely free to watch and compatible with pretty much any internet-connected device out there.

Just bear in mind that World Tour Finals coverage will be restricted in most countries where the tournament is being shown by local broadcasters (places like India and the UK).

Play gets underway at 10am WITA local time on most days of the tournament.

If you're abroad right now and still want to keep up with a badminton live stream on YouTube, you'll need a VPN (as explained below). Otherwise, you'll be limited to the highlights.

Related: discover today's best YouTube VPNs

How to watch World Tour Finals from outside your country

We've set out below the ways you can live stream World Tour Finals badminton 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

ExpressVPN is the world's top VPN right now
We've taken the time to try out all the biggest VPN providers and we found ExpressVPN to be the pick of the bunch. It works with lots of devices and offers super fast connections across its many servers.

Throw in its robust set of security features and ExpressVPN is the best all-round VPN for streaming - and perhaps best of all, it has a 30-day money back guarantee plus 3 months FREE when you subscribe for a year.

Access ExpressVPN via your laptop, iPhone, tablet, Android phone, PlayStation, Xbox and plenty more. Express is a do-it-all service that also benefits from 24/7 customer support.

- Try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free for 30 days

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 the YouTube

World Tour Finals live stream 2021: how to watch badminton online in India

Star Sports subscribers in India can watch the World Tour Finals live either via the Star Sports TV channels or by getting a Disney+ Hotstar streaming subscription.

Disney Plus Hotstar plans start at Rs 499 for the VIP package, and the all-access content plan costs Rs 1,499.

Live coverage of the badminton typically runs from 7.30am-12.30pm IST and from 2.30pm-7.30pm, with coverage of the final starting at 10.30am on Sunday morning.

Those of you wanting to live stream badminton World Tour Finals action on the move will need to use the Hotstar app, which is available via the web, Android, iOS, and Apple TV.

How to watch a badminton World Tour Finals live stream in China

Related: all of the best VPNs for China

How to watch 2021 World Tour Finals: live stream badminton in the UK

The 2021 World Tour Finals is being shown on BT Sport in the UK, with live coverage running from 2am-7.30am GMT and 9am-2.30pm on most days of the tournament, though coverage of the final starts at 6.30am early on Sunday morning.

Don't forget that a £25 BT Sport Monthly Sports pass is now available, so you can get all that badminton goodness without a long-term commitment.

The BT Sport app will let subscribers watch the baseball on any number of devices, including mobiles, tablets, consoles and smart TVs.

If you find yourself outside the UK and want to watch the World Tour Finals 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.

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.