BWF World Tour Finals live stream: How to watch 2023 badminton online – finals order of play

If there's one title every badminton pro wants to win, it's the BWF World Tour Finals. The $2.5 million prize pot is the biggest in the sport and the caliber of contenders, including defending men's single champ Viktor Axelsen, is unmatched. All five finals take place on Sunday, December 17, and we've listed the full order of play below.

You can watch the 2023 BWF World Tour Finals live online and for free on YouTube in some countries, but it's a paid-for event in others. Read on and we'll show you how to watch BWF World Tour Finals badminton from anywhere with a VPN, and potentially for FREE.

With reigning champion Akane Yamaguchi out injured, An Se-young and Chen Yu Fei had top billing in the women's singles, but neither of them has made the final. Instead, Carolina Marin – who beat Chen twice – will face the conqueror of An, Tai Tzu-ying. 

Axelsen looked like the player to beat in the men's singles having won five BWF World Tour events this year, and so it has proved, despite the Dane missing out on top seeding. 

That honor was bestowed upon Japan's Kodai Naraoka, who proceeded to lose all three of his group games. Indonesia's Jonatan Christie has been a regular at the business end of tournaments this year, but he lost to Shi Yuqi in the semi-finals, so it's the Chinese star who'll go toe-to-toe with Axelsen.

Here's how to watch a 2023 BWF World Tour Finals live stream online from anywhere.

BWF World Tour Finals 2023 order of play

(All times ET)

Sunday, December 17

• 1am - Kang Min Hyuk & Seo Seung Jae vs Liang Wei Keng & Wang Chang
• Chen Qing Chen & Jia Yi Fan vs Baek Ha Na & Lee So Hee
• Tai Tzu Ying vs Carolina Marin
• Feng Yan Zhe & Huang Dong Ping vs Zheng Si Wei & Huang Ya Qiong
• Shi Yu Qi vs Viktor Axelsen

FREE BWF World Tour Finals badminton live streams

The 2023 BWF World Tour Finals is being live streamed for free on the BWF TV YouTube channel in the U.S., Australia, and Canada.

But what if you're based in one of those countries but aren't at home to catch that free BWF World Tour Finals coverage? Maybe you're on holiday and don't want to spend money on pay TV in another country, when you'd usually be able to watch the badminton for free at home?

Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.

BWF World Tour Finals live streams around the world

It's only natural that you might want to watch a BWF World Tour Finals live stream from your home country, but what if you're not there during the event?

Look no further than a VPN, or virtual private network. A VPN makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere on Earth. As long as you have an internet connection.

They're totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite right now is ExpressVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Safety, speed and simplicity combine to make ExpressVPN our favorite VPN service. It's also compatible with loads of devices and there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to try it out.

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Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.K. and want to view coverage from the U.S., you'd select U.S. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to YouTube or another website and watch the 2023 BWF World Tour Finals live stream.

How to watch BWF World Tour Finals live streams in the U.S.

If you're in the U.S., you can watch the 2023 BWF World Tour Finals on YouTube, which is of course completely free.

Play typically begins at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT each evening, though the late session starts at the far trickier time of 4 a.m. ET / 1 a.m. PT. The finals get underway at 1 a.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

If you already use YouTube but aren't in the U.S. right now, you can live stream the BWF World Tour Finals by using a good VPN. And if, for whatever reason, you can't get it working, do remember that you have the comfort of a 30-day money-back guarantee with ExpressVPN.

How to watch BWF World Tour Finals live streams in the U.K.

TNT Sports – the broadcasting service formerly known as BT Sport – is showing the BWF World Tour Finals in the U.K..

You can get it by subscribing to the Discovery Plus Premium plan for £29.99 per month. It's a combo subscription which allows fans to access TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment all in one place.

The other way to get TNT Sports is to add it to the package with your current TV platform provider, so through Sky, BT, EE or Virgin Media.

Play typically begins at the tricky time of 2 a.m. GMT, though the late sessions start at a much more palatable 9 a.m.. On Sunday, the finals begin at 6 a.m..

All sounds great, right? But if you're not in the U.K., you can still tap into the BWF World Tour Finals live stream by using one of the best VPN services, such as ExpressVPN.

How to watch BWF World Tour Finals live streams in Canada

Badminton fans in Canada can watch the 2023 BWF World Tour Finals free on the BWF TV YouTube channel.

Play typically starts at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT each evening, though the late sessions get underway at the far trickier time of 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT. The finals begin at 1 a.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

Not at home right now? Use ExpressVPN or another VPN service to tap into your home coverage from anywhere.

How to watch BWF World Tour Finals live streams in Australia

The 2023 BWF World Tour Finals is being shown for free in Australia on YouTube. 

Play typically begins at 1 p.m. AEDT, with the late sessions starting at 8 p.m.. On Sunday, the finals begin at 5 p.m..

Not in Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as ExpressVPN, to watch the badminton as if you were back home.

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