BWF World Championships live stream: how to watch badminton FREE online, TV channel

The highest-profile badminton event on the calendar, the BWF World Championships, brings together world-class players for seven days of exhilarating action. It's FREE to watch on YouTube in in the US, while UK fans can catch a paid stream on TNT Sports. Travelling outside the US? Use a VPN to watch free from anywhere.

India's top-ranked men's singles player HS Prannoy faces Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the standout quarter-final of the 2023 BWF World Championships. Top seed Anders Antonsen is also eyeing a place in the semis. Who will make it to Sunday's final? 

Taking place at Copenhagen’s Royal Arena, players will be battling it out for world titles in divisions including men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles. The format for these finals consists of three best-of-three games, each played to 21 points, that will no doubt be full of dramatic rallies and clever strategies. 

In the men’s event, all eyes will be on defending champion Viktor Axelson, who is bidding to become the first Dane to win a singles world title on home soil. The 29-year-old is also the reigning Olympic champion and will start off the defence of his World Championships crown against Ireland’s Nhat Nguye.  

In the women’s singles, second seed Akane Yamaguchi is the defending champion and through to the quarter-finals where she faces a tough test from Indonesia's Gregoria Tunjung. Firm favourite and new world number one An Se Young is also in the mix. Seventh seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand is out after losing 21-19, 21-16 to unseeded Okohara Nozomi of Japan. 

When it comes to the men’s doubles, Olympic champions Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin will be a serious threat to defending champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, as will home hopes Jeppe Bay and Lasse Moelhede. In the women’s event, Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan are chasing a fourth world title, as are Zheng Si Wei and Huang Ya Qiong in the mixed doubles. 

It’s set to be a fascinating seven days, and you can follow our guide to get a badminton live stream from all over the world - including how to watch the BWF World Championships free online in many countries.

How to watch a FREE badminton live stream

If you don't live in a country where the BWF World Championships is being shown by a big-name broadcaster,
you might find a 100% FREE Badminton World Championships live stream on YouTube.

Just bear in mind that 2023 Badminton World Championships coverage will be restricted in most countries where the tournament is being shown by local broadcasters (places like India and the UK). 

If you're abroad and 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 Badminton World Championships from outside your country

We've set out below the ways you can live stream Badminton World Championships action 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 YouTube

Badminton World Championships live stream 2023: how to watch badminton online in India

For badminton fans in India there are a couple of ways to watch the World Championships as we'd expect Jio TV to serve up a free live stream, as it did last year. 

However, if you are visiting India from the US, you can always use a VPN to watch the free YouTube live stream. 

How to watch a Badminton World Championships live stream in China

Badminton fans based in China can tune into the 2023 Badminton World Championships on Youku.

Play gets underway at 4pm CST on most days of the tournament.

If there are any internet-related obstacles in your way or if you want to access your preferred feed from outside of China, you can use a VPN to watch the badminton wherever you are.

• Related: all of the best VPNs for China

How to watch 2023 Badminton World Championships: live stream in the UK

The 2023 Badminton World Championships is being shown on TNT Sports in the UK, with live coverage typically starting at 8am BST and running deep into the evening. 

For customers who subscribe to TNT Sports directly through Discovery+, the price starts at £29.99 per month and includes Eurosport and a whole host of entertainment.

If you find yourself outside the UK and want to watch the Badminton World Championships 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.