How to watch 2026 Australian Open for free: Schedule, livestream

The first major of the 2026 tennis season is here.

By Feb. 1, singles fields of 128 men and 128 women will narrow down to two champions.

In the men’s draw, the title is likely going to end up going to one of two men; Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have won all of the eight Grand Slam titles. Sinner is coming into the 2026 season as a two-time defending Australian Open champ.

American Madison Keys is entering this year’s Open as the defending champion, but Aryna Sabalenka is the favorite in the women’s draw. Coco Gauff is in search of her first Australian Open title, and notably, Venus Williams was given a wild-card entry and will play in the Australian Open for the first time in five years.

2026 Australian Open dates

The 2026 Australian Open begins on Jan. 18 (evening of Jan. 17 in the United States). It wraps up with the women’s championship in the early hours of Jan. 31 and the men’s final on Feb. 1.

What channel is the Australian Open on?

The Australian Open will air across ESPN and ESPN2 in the United States. To see what’s airing when, check out ESPN’s schedule for the men’s and women’s draws.

The ESPN Unlimited streaming service with ESPN+ will broadcast every single match. Daily coverage on ESPN and ESPN 2 is primarily in the evenings and overnight due to the time difference.

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the televised matches of the Australian Open for free.

DIRECTV is our top pick for watching sports live for free — its five-day free trial has ESPN and ESPN2, plus the Tennis Channel. When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $49.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.

If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription and have your eye on a specific match, you can try a Sling Orange Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including ESPN and ESPN2. Sling also offers weekend and week-long passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.

To catch all of the Australian Open action, you’ll want a subscription to ESPN Unlimited, which comes with all of the televised matches and every other match that’s part of the tournament on ESPN+.

Australian Open 2026 TV schedule

Below, check out the TV schedule for the 2026 Australian Open, but remember, ESPN Unlimited (Rod Laver, Margaret Court and John Cain Arenas) and ESPN+ (all other courts) broadcast live from 7 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. into the early morning hours every day. All times below are listed in EST.

Saturday, Jan. 17 – First Round

• 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. – ESPN2

Sunday, Jan. 18 – First Round

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN2
• 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. – ESPN2

Monday, Jan. 19 – First Round

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN2
• 11:15 p.m. to 3 a.m. – ESPN2

Tuesday, Jan. 20 – First and Second Rounds

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN2 (end of first round)
• 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. – ESPN2 (second round begins)

Wednesday, Jan. 21 – Second Round

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN2
• 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. – ESPN2

Thursday, Jan. 22 – Second and Third Rounds

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN2 (end of second round)
• 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. – ESPN2 (third round begins)

Friday, Jan. 23 – Third Round

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN2
• 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. – ESPN2

Saturday, Jan. 24 – Third Round and Round of 16

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN2 (end of third round)
• 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. – ESPN2 (round of 16 begins)

Sunday, Jan. 25 – Round of 16

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN2
• 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. – ESPN2

Monday, Jan. 26 – Round of 16 and Quarterfinals

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN2 (end of round of 16)
• 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. – ESPN2 (quarterfinals begin)

Tuesday, Jan. 27 – Quarterfinals

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN
• 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. – ESPN2

Wednesday, Jan. 28 – Quarterfinals

• 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. – ESPN

Thursday, Jan. 29

• 3:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. – ESPN (women’s semifinals)
• 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. ESPN – (men’s semifinal #1)

Friday, Jan. 30

• 3:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. – ESPN (men’s semifinal #2)

Saturday, Jan. 31

• 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. – ESPN (women’s championship)

Sunday, Feb. 1

• 3:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. – ESPN (men’s championship)

Where is the Australian Open played?

As it is every year, the Australian Open is played at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia.

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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.