How to watch Royal Ascot 2026 on ITV — it's *FREE*

Trawlerman ridden by William Buick wins the Gold Cup during day three of the 2025 Royal Ascot horse racing festival at Ascot Racecourse. — (Image credit: Tom Jenkins/Getty Images)

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You can watch Royal Ascot 2026 live on ITVX, streaming for free from Tuesday, June 16 until Saturday, June 20. The stream includes English commentary, bringing horse racing fans live coverage of every single race of the historic and prestigious meet — including Thursday's marquee Gold Cup.

The historic five-day meet (258 years and counting) is epic in every way, as some of the world's most impressive thoroughbreds meet across 35 races with the prestigious 4km Ascot Gold Cup course rewarding the best 'stayers' at the meet. While you can see a full schedule at the bottom of this article, Thursday's Gold Cup will attract most attention, with "Trawlerman" back to defend its crown and the likes of "Scandinavia", "Rahiebb" and "Sweet William" leading the odds in the 25-strong field.

Can you access ITV in the U.S. and Canada? Read on and we'll show you how to watch Royal Ascot 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN for FREE.

How to watch Royal Ascot 2026 live streams for free

Racing fans in the U.K. can watch Royal Ascot live for FREE on ITVX online and via the ITV1 and ITV4 channels on TV.

ITV1 is a free-to-air channel in the U.K. though it requires a TV licence and a U.K. postcode (e.g. SL5 7JX) to stream content live on ITVX.

Traveling abroad during June? Use NordVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in the U.K.

We've been watching ITV's coverage of the 2026 World Cup and the streaming quality is superb.

Watch Royal Ascot 2026 live streams from anywhere

Although ITVX is only available to British residents, those who are from the U.K. but visiting the likes of the U.S. and Canada can stream it by using one of the best VPNs (Virtual Private Networks).

The software sets your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So it's ideal for sports fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:

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. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select United Kingdom from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to ITVX or another streaming service and watch the action.

Can I watch Royal Ascot 2026 online around the world?

Royal Ascot is such a big meet on the racing calendar, it does get picked up by other broadcasters around the world.

For example, racing fans in Ireland get to watch every single race for free thanks to Virgin Media channels on TV and the online Virgin Media Play platform.

NBC will have coverage in the U.S. with its Peacock streaming service streaming races online.

While the free-to-air Channel 7 and its online 7plus streamer will carry Royal Ascot action in Australia.

Currently traveling away from home? Don't worry — check out our guide above to watch Royal Ascot 2026 from anywhere with a VPN.

ITV FAQ

What does ITV's coverage of the Royal Ascot 2026 include?

William Buick riding Belloccio win The Copper Horse Handicap Stakes on day one during Royal Ascot 2024 at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2024 — (Image credit: Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)

ITV is showing blanket coverage of the entire Royal Ascot meet on television from Tuesday to Saturday, with the vast majority of coverage going out on ITV1, and ITV4 picking up any gaps.

Of course that means every single race will be available to watch online through the ITVX website and apps for the below devices.

Viewers can expect to see coverage presented by Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani, analysis from the likes of Jason Weaver, Ruby Walsh and Adele Mulrennan, and Richard Hoiles and Mark Johnson on commentary duties.

Remember. Use NordVPN if you're outside the U.K. on vacation.

What devices can I watch ITVX on?

Amazon Fire (Tablets, Cube, Stick, TVs)
Android TV (note: some models aren’t supported)
Android (Mobile & Tablet) — Android 7.0 and above
Apple TV (tvOS 18 or later)
Google TV (Chromecast with Google TV and NVIDIA Shield)
Freely
Freesat (note: some models aren’t supported)
Freeview Play (TVs and set-top boxes) (note: some models aren’t supported)
iOS (iPhone & iPad) — iOS 15 and above
LG Smart TVs (2016 or later)
NOW Smart Sticks and Boxes (minimum firmware v11.5.0)
PlayStation (PS4 and PS5)
Roku (Stick & Roku-OS powered TVs, minimum firmware v11.5.0)
Samsung Smart TVs (2017 and above)
Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream puck
Virgin Media (360, Stream, TiVo)
YouView (BT, Humax, Sony, TalkTalk)
Xbox (One, Series X, Series S)

What is the Royal Ascot 2026 schedule?

Tuesday, 16 June
2:30 p.m. BST / 9:30 a.m. ET — Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1)
3:05 p.m. BST / 10:05 a.m. ET — Coventry Stakes (G2)
3:40 p.m. BST / 10:40 a.m. ET — King Charles III Stakes (Group 1)
4:20 p.m. BST / 11:20 a.m. ET — St James’s Palace Stakes (G1)
5:00 p.m. BST / 12:00 p.m. ET — Ascot Stakes Handicap
5:35 p.m. BST / 12:35 p.m. ET — Wolferton Rated Stakes
6:10 p.m. BST / 1:10 p.m. ET — Copper Horse Stakes

Wednesday, 17 June
2:30 p.m. BST / 9:30 a.m. ET — Queen Mary Stakes (G2)
3:05 p.m. BST / 10:05 a.m. ET — Queen’s Vase (G2)
3:40 p.m. BST / 10:40 a.m. ET — Duke of Cambridge Stakes (G2)
4:20 p.m. BST / 11:20 a.m. ET — Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1)
5:00 p.m. BST / 12:00 p.m. ET — Royal Hunt Cup Handicap
5:35 p.m. BST / 12:35 p.m. ET — Windsor Castle Stakes
6:10 p.m. BST / 1:10 p.m. ET — Kensington Palace Stakes

Thursday, 18 June (Ladies’ Day / Gold Cup Day)
2:30 p.m. BST / 9:30 a.m. ET — Norfolk Stakes (G2)
3:05 p.m. BST / 10:05 a.m. ET — King George V Stakes Handicap
3:40 p.m. BST / 10:40 a.m. ET — Ribblesdale Stakes (G2)
4:20 p.m. BST / 11:20 a.m. ET — Ascot Gold Cup (G1)
5:00 p.m. BST / 12:00 p.m. ET — Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap)
5:35 p.m. BST / 12:35 p.m. ET — Hampton Court Stakes (G3)
6:10 p.m. BST / 1:10 p.m. ET — Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap)

Friday, 19 June
2:30 p.m. BST / 9:30 a.m. ET — Albany Stakes (G3)
3:05 p.m. BST / 10:05 a.m. ET — Commonwealth Cup (G1)
3:40 p.m. BST / 10:40 a.m. ET — Duke of Edinburgh Stakes
4:20 p.m. BST / 11:20 a.m. ET — Coronation Stakes (G1)
5:00 p.m. BST / 12:00 p.m. ET — Sandringham Stakes
5:35 p.m. BST / 12:35 p.m. ET — King Edward VII Stakes (G2)
6:10 p.m. BST / 1:10 p.m. ET — Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes

Saturday, 20 June
2:30 p.m. BST / 9:30 a.m. ET — Chesham Stakes
3:05 p.m. BST / 10:05 a.m. ET — Jersey Stakes (G3)
3:40 p.m. BST / 10:40 a.m. ET — Hardwicke Stakes (G2)
4:20 p.m. BST / 11:20 a.m. ET — Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (G1)
5:00 p.m. BST / 12:00 p.m. ET — Wokingham Stakes Handicap
5:35 p.m. BST / 12:35 p.m. ET — Golden Gates Stakes
6:10 p.m. BST / 1:10 p.m. ET — Queen Alexandra Stakes

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Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Adam was the Content Director of Subscriptions and Services at Future, meaning that he oversaw many of the articles the publisher produces about antivirus software, VPN, TV streaming, broadband and mobile phone contracts - from buying guides and deals news, to industry interest pieces and reviews. Adam can still be seen dusting his keyboard off to write articles for the likes of TechRadar, T3 and Tom's Guide, having started his career at consumer champions Which?.