How To Watch the Rugby World Cup Live: Online, on TV & Abroad

The men’s Rugby World Cup is upon us. 20 of the world’s very best teams head to France to compete for the iconic Webb Ellis Cup.

New Zealand, France and holders South Africa are favourites to win the tournament, but we shouldn’t rule out England. Despite some poor form coming into the tournament, Steve Borthwick’s side still possess some real star quality.

It’s also possible that the likes of Ireland, Australia or a lesser-fancied nation spring a surprise. The best way to find out is by watching live, which is possible if you’re based in the US, UK or elsewhere.

When is the Rugby World Cup?

The Rugby World Cup gets underway on 8 September 2023.

It continues for seven weeks, with the final taking place on 28 October 2023.

Which teams are in the Rugby World Cup?

Here are the official groups for the tournament:

• Pool A: New Zealand, France, Italy, Uruguay, Namibia
• Pool B: South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Tonga, Romania
• Pool C: Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Portugal
• Pool D: England, Japan, Argentina, Samoa, Chile

Rugby World Cup fixtures

Every single Rugby World Cup match is being broadcast live in the US and UK. Here are some of the highlights from the group stages:

Fri 8 Sept

• France vs New Zealand – KO 8.15pm UK, 3.15pm ET, 12.15pm PT – ITV

Sat 9 Sept

• England vs Argentina – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV

Sun 10 Sept

• South Africa vs Scotland – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
• Wales vs Fiji – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 8.45am PT – ITV

Sat 16 Sept

• Wales vs Portugal – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV

Sun 17 Sept

• England vs Japan – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV

Sat 23 Sept

• England vs Chile – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
• South Africa vs Ireland – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV

Sun 24 Sept

• Scotland vs Tonga – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
• Wales vs Australia – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV

Sat 30 Sept

• Scotland vs Romania – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT – ITV

Sat 7 Oct

• Wales vs Georgia – KO 2pm UK, 9am ET, 6am PT – ITV
• England vs Samoa – KO 4.45pm UK, 11.45am ET, 8.45am PT – ITV
• Ireland vs Scotland – KO 8pm UK, 3pm ET, 12pm PT

See all the fixtures and results on the Rugby World Cup website.

How to watch the Rugby World Cup in the US

In the US, NBC has full rights to the Rugby World Cup. All 48 matches will be broadcast live on NBC Sports, but also available via the Peacock streaming service.

The latter is the easiest and most affordable way to start watching. It starts $5.99 per month/$59.99 per year for ‘Premium’, or $11.99 per month/$119.99 to step up to the ad-free ‘Premium Plus’. You can sign up for both on the Peacock website.

However, 15 live matches will also be broadcast on CNBC. That includes the final and several other games (see the full list on the NBC Sports website), and may already be included with your cable subscription. If you’re happy to miss some matches, you might not need to pay anything extra.

How to watch the Rugby World Cup in the UK

In the UK, ITV is showing every single live match, and you can watch live either on your TV or via ITVX its streaming service.

As a free-to-air channel, you don’t need a dedicated subscription to watch ITV. But like any live content in the UK, you will need a TV Licence – it currently costs £159 per year.

How to watch the Rugby World Cup outside the US and UK

The Rugby World Cup broadcasters in the US and UK are geo-restricted, meaning you can only officially watch in the country where they operate. But if you’re only temporarily out of country, on holiday or a business trip, it makes sense to use a service you’ve already paid for.

To appear as if you’re in the US or UK and access local content, you’ll need a VPN.

We’re using NordVPN for the purposes of this tutorial, but there are plenty of great alternatives in our best VPN chart. Just make sure it unblocks the service you’re trying to use before signing up.

Once that’s done, here’s what you need to do.

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