How to watch World Athletics Championships 2025: free streams, event schedule, preview

The most prestigious track and field meet outside the Olympics, the World Athletics Championships brings Mondo Duplantis, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Nafi Thiam together under one roof at Tokyo's Japan National Stadium. The Decathlon and the finals of the Women's High Jump, Women's 800m, Men's 5,000m, Men's Discus, Men's 4 x 400m Relay, Women's 4 x 400m Relay, Women's 4 x 100m Relay final, Men's 4 x 100m Relay are today's headline acts.

You can watch World Athletics Championships 2025 from anywhere with a VPN and potentially for free.

Sander Skotheim (Norway), Nicola Olyslagers (Australia), Keely Hodgkinson (GBR), Grant Fisher (U.S.) and Mykolas Alekna (Lithuania) topped the 2025 world list ahead of the Championships in the Decathlon and the finals of the Women's High Jump, Women's 800m, Men's 5,000m and Men's Discus respectively.

While Hodgkinson has the Women's 800m world record in her sights, as tends to happen the Men's 5,000m heats were incredibly slow. Biniam Mehary (Ethiopia) went fastest in Heat 2 with a 13:41.52 — almost a full minute slower than the WL.

Kyle Garland (U.S.) leads the Decathlon going into the final day, with reigning champion Pierce LePage (Canada) lagging behind but likely to make big moves, especially in the 110m Hurdles, Discus and Pole Vault.

Here's how to watch World Athletics Championships 2025 online and on TV — including free streaming options. We’ve also listed the full schedule below so you don't miss a moment.

World Athletics Championships schedule 2025

Sunday, September 21
4:35 a.m. — Men's Javelin Decathlon (Group A)
5:47 a.m. — Men's Javelin Decathlon (Group B)
6:30 a.m. — Women's High Jump final
6:35 a.m. — Women's 800m final
6:47 a.m. — Men's 5,000m final
7:10 a.m. — Men's Discus final
7:20 a.m. — Men's 4 x 400m Relay final
7:35 a.m. — Women's 4 x 400m Relay final
7:49 a.m. — Men's 1,500m Decathlon
8:06 a.m. — Women's 4 x 100m Relay final
8:20 a.m. — Men's 4 x 100m Relay final

(All times ET)

Watch World Athletics Championships live streams for FREE

You can watch the World Athletics Championships free-of-charge on SBS on Demand, which is providing comprehensive coverage in Australia.

Free World Athletics Championships coverage can also be found on BBC iPlayer in the U.K., and CBC Gem in Canada.

Away from home? You may not be able to watch the action like you normally would due to regional restrictions. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution. Use a VPN to watch Tokyo 2025 for free — we’ll show you how below.

Watch World Athletics Championships 2025 from anywhere

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the World Athletics Championships on your usual subscription?

You can still watch Tokyo 2025 live thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear as if they're back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:

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Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN 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. but want to view your free SBS coverage, you'd select an Australian server from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head over to SBS On Demand and enjoy!

How to watch World Athletics Championships 2025 live streams in the U.S.

Viewers in the U.S. can watch the World Athletics Championships on Peacock. Prices start at just $10.99/month.

Although the occasional event is also being televised on NBC, CNBC and USA Network, Peacock has wall-to-wall Tokyo 2025 coverage.

If you already use the service but aren't in the U.S. right now, you can live stream World Athletics Championships 2025 by using a good VPN.

How to watch World Athletics Championships 2025 live streams in Canada

As mentioned above, fans can watch the World Athletics Championships unfold on CBC Sports and the channel's CBC Gem streaming service. CBC Gem is free (with ads) or CA$4.99 a month (ad-free).

If you live in Canada but aren't at home right now, you can still tune in live by using a quality VPN like NordVPN.

How to watch World Athletics Championships 2025 live streams in the U.K.

Select World Athletics Championships events are being televised live on BBC One and BBC Two in the U.K., with live streaming available via BBC iPlayer.

If you're on holiday outside the U.K., you can still follow your usual World Athletics Championships live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as NordVPN.

Comprehensive coverage is being provided by TNT Sports, across multiple channels.

You can stream TNT Sports live online by subscribing to the Discovery Plus Premium plan for £30.99/month, or you can add TNT Sports through Sky, BT, EE or Virgin Media to watch via your television provider.

How to watch World Athletics Championships 2025 live streams in Australia

Every single event of the World Athletics Championships is being shown live on free-to-air SBS Viceland in Australia, with live streaming available via SBS on Demand.

If you aren't in Oz right now, you can live stream Tokyo 2025 by using a good VPN.

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