In terms of what you can watch on BBC iPlayer, we’ve added new summaries of what you can watch under the service's Sports category, including live coverage, documentary content and more, which you can read about below.
iPlayer Sports Shows and Analysis
If you’re looking for highlights and insight into your sport of choice, the BBC does a great job at covering football, both the men’s game with Match of the Day and women’s with The Women’s Football Show. This also extends beyond the English leagues with programmes such as the Irish League Show, and Match of the Day Wales.
There’s more to life than footy though, so you’ve also got programmes like Bikes!, which covers Northern Irish motorcycle racing, The Adventure Show, all about Scottish adventure sport (think climbing, mountain biking, kayaking and so on), or the Super League Show for the latest rugby league games.
Finally, you’ve got the option to watch some sports-themed entertainment, like the perennial quiz show A Question of Sport, or the annual Sport Relief charity event.
- Outside the UK you can access iPlayer with an iPlayer VPN
Sports Documentaries and Factual
Transplant Games
In honour of the World Transplant Games, a series of athletics events contested by transplant recipients, Alan Shearer introduces us to some of the competitors. Their determination and the amazing medical advancements that have allowed them to survive make for an inspiring documentary.
Mavericks: Sport’s Lost Heroes
This BBC Wales series looks at some of the country’s poorly known champions, in order to give them the recognition they deserve. There are two episodes to watch: one about the exuberant wheelchair racer Chris Hallam, and another about the Formula 1 driver Tom Pryce, known for his uniquely simple striped helmet design.
Real Kashmir FC
Retired footballer Davie Robertson has managed several teams around the world, with his latest being Real Kashmir, a small team located in the very north of India. Dealing with the town, the threat of political violence, and the various needs of his diverse team, Robertson’s efforts to take the ‘Snow Leopards’ to new heights are the subject of this documentary, which has become unfortunately relevant due to the recent actions of the Indian government in the region.
Giantkillers: The Team That Wouldn’t Die
A football documentary about Newport County AFC. The Welsh team has struggled to survive for years due to poor performance and money troubles, but that didn’t stop them from taking on and even beating Premier League level teams during the 2019 FA Cup.
John McEnroe: Still Rockin’ at 60
John McEnroe was a notable tennis player during the 1980s and 90s, and these days can often be found on UK television commentating on major tournaments, or playing in a few himself in the senior brackets. Famed for his angry on-court outbursts, the documentary shows what’s become of him since his retirement, and how he has spent this time developing his love of art and music.
Bats, Balls and Bradford Girls
This programme follows an all-Asian and all-girl team of cricketers as they leave high school and prepare to play one final game together. Each member gets some time in the spotlight so the viewer can properly appreciate the individual struggles they face in making it to practice and matches.
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Live Sports Coverage
Rowing
The Rowing World Championships, a prestigious event and a chance to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, has some content on iPlayer. You can currently watch either the Men’s and Women’s Eights (which suitably enough involves boats with eight rowers), or the three types of ‘fours’ competition, involving different variations of oars and the presence/lack of a cox to synchronise the team.
Mountain Biking
Racing through Canadian forests, the men’s and women’s finals of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships cross-country event are both available for iPlayer viewing.
Climbing
The finals at the Climbing World Championships are currently available to watch on iPlayer. You've got a choice of three different competitions - bouldering, in which climbers tackle short but wide walls without harnesses; speed climbing, a race to the top between two competitiors; and traditional lead climbing, a contest of who can get the highest up the wall.
Hockey
There’s a selection of matches from the Women’s Eurohockey II Championship and both Men's and Women's Eurohockey Championship (the higher tier competition) available at the moment, featuring the Welsh, Scottish, Irish and English teams.
Modern Pentathlon
This sport is a strangely compelling combination of fencing, swimming, show jumping, shooting and running. If you want to see how it all fits together, or how the best in the world do it, you can find the final rounds of the World Modern Pentathlon Championships on iPlayer including the men’s, women’s and mixed relay competitions.
Golf
The Walker Cup is a competition for amateur golfers competing for either the USA or Great Britain and Ireland, this year contested on the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. Each day of the two-day event is split between two vs. two and one-on-one competitions, and you can view the highlights of these on iPlayer.
Athletics
For fans of running, jumping and throwing, The British Championships, which recently wrapped up in Birmingham, are available to watch on iPlayer. If that isn’t enough, there is live coverage and highlights of the Great North Run,‘The Match’, a US vs Europe team competition taking place over two days, or the final meetings of the IAAF Diamond League, which gathered the world’s best athletes for the last events of the competition in Zurich and Brussels.
Triathlon
Specialists in swimming, cycling and running have recently been competing for a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. On iPlayer, you can watch either the men's, women's or mixed relay events of the World Triathlon Olympic Qualification Event. Alternatively, there's the final stage of the World Triathlon Series to watch, which took place in sunny Lausanne, France.
