The Tour de France Femmes 2026 takes place from Saturday, 1st August to Sunday, 9th August, with nine stages starting in Switzerland and finishing in Nice. UK viewers who want to watch the race live should plan around TNT Sports and HBO Max, with Warner Bros. Discovery holding the live rights.
That means the Tour de France Femmes is part of the same wider broadcast shift that has changed how UK fans watch the men’s Tour de France. ITV is no longer the place to go for live Tour coverage, while TNT Sports and HBO Max are the main live routes for subscription viewers.
There will still be a free UK option, with 5 confirmed to show daily highlights of the Tour de France Femmes in 2026. That gives UK viewers a free-to-air way to follow the race each evening, even though full live coverage remains with TNT Sports and HBO Max.
There is also a free overseas live option for viewers who are comfortable using a VPN. SBS in Australia will show the Tour de France Femmes live and free through SBS and SBS On Demand, with replays and highlights also available. That is an Australian broadcast service, so access from the UK may require a VPN and should be checked against platform terms and local rights restrictions.
The race itself should be one of the key events of the 2026 women’s cycling season. The route starts with a Swiss Grand Départ in Lausanne, includes an individual time-trial in Dijon, crosses the Jura and Massif Central, and then brings the GC battle towards Mont Ventoux and Nice. For wider race context, see our Tour de France Femmes hub, Women’s Cycling Race Hub and Women’s Cycling TV Guide Hub.
When is the Tour de France Femmes 2026?
The Tour de France Femmes 2026 runs from Saturday, 1st August to Sunday, 9th August.
The race starts in Lausanne, Switzerland, and finishes in Nice, France. It is the fifth edition of the modern Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and the second modern edition to begin outside France, following the 2024 Grand Départ in Rotterdam.
The route has nine stages, split across flat, hilly and mountain terrain, plus one individual time-trial. It is also the longest edition so far, with the official route listing 1,175km of racing.
How can UK viewers watch the Tour de France Femmes 2026 live?
UK viewers should be able to watch every stage of the Tour de France Femmes 2026 live through TNT Sports and HBO Max.
TNT Sports is the main television route, while HBO Max is the streaming home of TNT Sports in the UK. This is where full live stage coverage should sit, alongside replays, highlights and related race content.
For viewers who previously used Eurosport, GCN+ or Discovery+ for women’s cycling, the important change is the move into the TNT Sports and HBO Max setup. The race remains within the Warner Bros. Discovery cycling package, but the platform branding and subscription route have shifted.
If you want to follow the GC battle live, especially the Dijon time-trial, Mont Ventoux stage and final weekend around Nice, TNT Sports and HBO Max are the most straightforward UK options.
Is the Tour de France Femmes 2026 on ITV?
No. ITV won’t show the Tour de France Femmes 2026 live in the UK.
That follows the broader change in UK Tour rights from 2026 onwards. ITV’s long association with Tour coverage has ended, and live race coverage now sits with Warner Bros. Discovery through TNT Sports and HBO Max.
ITVX should not be treated as a reliable place to watch the women’s Tour either. If ITV does not hold the rights, ITVX will not provide the full live race or a direct replacement for the old free-to-air Tour experience.
Is the Tour de France Femmes 2026 free to watch in the UK?
Yes, but only as daily highlights rather than full live stage coverage.
5 is confirmed to show daily highlights of the Tour de France Femmes in 2026, giving UK viewers a free-to-air way to follow the race without a TNT Sports or HBO Max subscription. That is an important distinction: 5 provides the free highlights route, while TNT Sports and HBO Max remain the live UK broadcast options.
For viewers who mainly want the daily story of the race, 5 should cover the stage winner, yellow jersey changes, major attacks and GC movement each evening. For viewers who want to watch the Dijon time-trial, Mont Ventoux and the final weekend around Nice unfold live, TNT Sports and HBO Max remain the more complete route.
There is also a free live international option through SBS in Australia, although UK access may require a VPN.
Can you watch Tour de France Femmes 2026 free with a VPN?
SBS in Australia is the main free live option to know about. It has live coverage of the Tour de France Femmes, with SBS On Demand also providing streaming, catch-up, replays and highlights.
For UK viewers, that means a VPN set to Australia may make SBS On Demand accessible, but there are two caveats. First, SBS is an Australian broadcaster and its coverage is designed for viewers in Australia. Second, platform terms and local rights restrictions can apply, so viewers should check the service’s rules before using it from outside Australia.
In practical terms, SBS is the closest free English-language full-race route for fans who do not want to pay for TNT Sports or HBO Max. It is not the official UK broadcast route, but it is a useful option to know about.
What channel is Tour de France Femmes 2026 on?
In the UK, the live broadcast route is TNT Sports, with streaming through HBO Max.
For free-to-air UK viewing, 5 will show daily highlights of the Tour de France Femmes in 2026.
In Australia, the race is live and free through SBS and SBS On Demand.
In France and across parts of Europe, coverage will be handled by the relevant official broadcasters, with the race also sitting within the wider Eurosport/Warner Bros. Discovery structure in many territories.
For UK viewers, the simple version is:
Live TV: TNT Sports
Live streaming: HBO Max
Free UK highlights: 5
ITV/ITVX: not expected to show the race live
Free English-language live stream outside the UK: SBS On Demand in Australia, likely requiring a VPN from the UK
What time will the stages be shown in the UK?
Exact UK broadcast times will depend on the final daily schedule, but the race is in Switzerland and France, so most stages should sit comfortably in the UK daytime or late afternoon viewing window.
Switzerland and France are both one hour ahead of the UK during the race. That means a 13:00 local stage start would be 12:00 BST, while a 17:30 local finish would be 16:30 BST.
The key stages to plan around are likely to be:
Stage 1 in Lausanne on Saturday, 1st August
Stage 4 individual time-trial from Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon on Tuesday, 4th August
Stage 7 to Mont Ventoux on Friday, 7th August
Stage 8 from Sisteron to Nice on Saturday, 8th August
Stage 9 in Nice on Sunday, 9th August
Full start and finish times should be checked once the daily race timetable is released.
Tour de France Femmes 2026 route overview
The Tour de France Femmes 2026 starts in Switzerland before heading into France and finishing in Nice.
The official route structure is:
Stage 1: Lausanne to Lausanne
Stage 2: Aigle to Geneva
Stage 3: Geneva to Poligny
Stage 4: Gevrey-Chambertin to Dijon individual time-trial
Stage 5: Mâcon to Belleville-en-Beaujolais
Stage 6: Montbrison to Tournon-sur-Rhône
Stage 7: La Voulte-sur-Rhône to Mont Ventoux
Stage 8: Sisteron to Nice
Stage 9: Nice to Nice
The race has three flat stages, three hilly stages, two mountain stages and one individual time-trial. That gives the 2026 edition a broader GC test than a race decided only by one summit finish. Sprinters will have chances, time-triallists get a proper stage in Dijon, and the climbers should come to the front on Mont Ventoux and the final weekend.
For more background on the race’s history and modern development, see our complete history of the Tour de France Femmes.
Why the 2026 route matters for watching
The 2026 route should make live coverage especially valuable because the GC battle is likely to develop across several different stage types.
The opening Swiss stages are not just ceremonial. Lausanne has a punchy finish, while stage 2 from Aigle to Geneva has enough climbing to test positioning before a likely fast finish. Stage 3 into Poligny brings the race into France and could be a tricky day depending on how aggressively teams race the Jura terrain.
The stage 4 time-trial to Dijon is the first major GC checkpoint. It is short enough that pure climbers can survive, but long enough to create meaningful gaps if a rider has a bad day. That stage should be central to the overall battle.
Then the race changes again. The road through Beaujolais and the Rhône valley gives punchier riders and breakaway specialists opportunities, before Mont Ventoux provides the biggest climbing symbol of the race. The final two stages around Nice should then decide whether the yellow jersey is controlled or still contested deep into the final weekend.
Highlights will show the result, but live coverage will show how teams handle those shifts.
Who should UK viewers watch?
The final start list will decide the full race picture, but the 2026 Tour de France Femmes should bring together most of the strongest GC riders in the women’s peloton.
Demi Vollering will be one of the obvious names if she starts, especially after her Giro d’Italia Women victory. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot remains a major reference point as the defending Tour winner. Anna van der Breggen, Elisa Longo Borghini, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Paula Blasi, Antonia Niedermaier, Niamh Fisher-Black, Sarah Gigante, Neve Bradbury and Marlen Reusser all fit different parts of the route depending on form and team selection.
The time-trial gives riders such as Reusser and Vollering a clear route into the GC. Mont Ventoux brings the pure climbers into focus. The hilly stages give Niewiadoma-Phinney, Ferrand-Prévot and Longo Borghini opportunities to race aggressively before the biggest mountains.
For more on how the 2026 women’s calendar is being shaped by route design, see our analysis of how race routes are shaping women’s cycling in 2026.
Best option if you want to watch every stage live
The best official UK option is TNT Sports or HBO Max.
That should give you full live access to every stage, along with replays and highlights. It is the safest route if you want to watch the GC develop day by day, especially once the race reaches the Dijon time-trial and Mont Ventoux.
For serious cycling fans, the Tour de France Femmes is not a race to follow only through final results. The stage design means small gaps, tactical decisions and team strength may matter long before the headline mountain finish. Watching live will make those shifts much easier to understand.
Best option if you want to watch free
The best free UK option is the daily highlights package on 5.
That gives viewers a simple free-to-air way to follow the race each evening, with the major attacks, stage winners, GC shifts and yellow jersey story covered without needing a live subscription.
The best free live option is SBS On Demand in Australia, potentially via VPN from the UK. SBS will show the Tour de France Femmes live and free, with streaming and catch-up options through SBS On Demand. That is the main free English-language live route for the race, but it is not a UK broadcast service.
For full live coverage through the official UK route, TNT Sports and HBO Max remain the reliable options.
Best option if you only want highlights
The best free UK option is 5, which is confirmed to show daily highlights of the Tour de France Femmes in 2026.
That should be the simplest route for viewers who want the main story of each stage without paying for live coverage. The highlights should cover the stage winner, major attacks, crashes, GC changes and the yellow jersey picture each evening.
TNT Sports and HBO Max should also have highlights and replays as part of their live coverage package, while SBS On Demand should provide replays and highlights for viewers able to access the Australian platform.
What not to do
Do not assume the Tour de France Femmes 2026 is on ITV or ITVX. The UK rights landscape has changed.
Do not confuse daily highlights on 5 with full live stage coverage. 5 gives UK viewers a free way to follow the race, but TNT Sports and HBO Max remain the live routes.
Do not wait until the Mont Ventoux stage to check your subscription or streaming access if you want to watch live. The race starts with GC-relevant stages in Switzerland and includes a time-trial before the final mountain phase.
Do not rely on social media clips alone if you want to understand the GC battle. The route is varied enough that race context will matter, especially through the time-trial and final weekend.
Tour de France Femmes 2026 UK viewing summary
Tour de France Femmes 2026 dates: Saturday, 1st August to Sunday, 9th August
Start: Lausanne, Switzerland
Finish: Nice, France
Stages: 9
UK live TV: TNT Sports
UK live streaming: HBO Max
Free UK highlights: 5
ITV/ITVX: not expected to show the race live
Free live international option: SBS and SBS On Demand in Australia, likely requiring a VPN from the UK
Key stages: stage 4 time-trial to Dijon, stage 7 to Mont Ventoux, final weekend in Nice
The simplest live UK route is TNT Sports or HBO Max. The best free UK route is the daily highlights package on 5. The best free live option is SBS On Demand in Australia if you are comfortable using a VPN and checking platform restrictions. Either way, the 2026 Tour de France Femmes should be worth planning around, because the route has enough time-trialling, climbing and final-weekend difficulty to make it one of the major races of the women’s season.
