How to watch Water Polo at Olympics 2020: key dates, free live stream and more

What’s the most grueling sport in the world? Yep, it’s water polo. Just hearing the rules of the game will leave you feeling relieved that you’re not competing at an Olympic level. But if you enjoy viewing ultra-demanding sports, then you’ll want to know where to watch a water polo live stream for all the the Tokyo Olympics 2020 action. Read on for all your options, including how to watch for free in some countries.

Live stream water polo at 2020 Olympics

Dates: Saturday, July 24 - Sunday August 8

Venue: Tatsumi Water Polo Center

FREE live streams: BBC iPlayer (UK) | 7Plus (AUS) | Peacock FREE trial (US)

Watch anywhere: try ExpressVPN 100% risk-free

The Hungarian men’s water polo team is the most successful in the Olympics, with nine gold medals so far. But at the Olympics 2016, it was Serbia that clinched gold in water polo. The Serbian team has been improving consistently, and they’ve won medals since 2008.

In women’s water polo, the USA shines bright. They won gold at the last two Olympics and their captain, Maggie Steffens, is a two-time Olympic champion and a three-time world champion. They also have Ashleigh Johnson, who’s considered the best goalkeeper in the world. Team USA is the one to beat, and the other competitors have their work cut out for them.

Follow our guide below as we explain how to watch water polo online in 2021 and catch all the action from the Olympics. And if you want to know more about watching the other games, here's a comprehensive Olympics live stream guide covering the entire Tokyo extravaganza.

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Olympics 2020 water polo: key dates and times

- Women's Bronze Medal Match: Saturday, August 7 from 1:40pm JST / 5:40am BST / 12:40am ET

- Women's Gold Medal Match: Saturday, August 7 from 4:30pm JST / 8:30am BST / 3:30am ET

- Men's Bronze Medal Match: Sunday, August 8 from 1:40pm JST / 5:40am BST / 12:40am ET

- Men's Gold Medal Match: Sunday, August 8 from 4:30pm JST / 8:30am BST / 3:30am ET

Free Olympics water polo live stream 2021

Broadcasters across various countries are covering the Olympics, with some of them airing it for free. That's the BBC and its iPlayer service in the UK, ARD and ZDF in Germany, TF1 in France, and Channel 7 and 7plus streaming in Australia are some of the broadcasters providing free coverage of the games.

You also have the option to watch coverage for free on the official Olympics website, but its coverage will not be as extensive as that of other broadcasters and you shouldn't rely on it to guarantee free live streaming of specific events.

How to watch your Olympics live stream when abroad

Sports fans wanting to watch an Olympics live stream in 2021 should be able to access their usual free or paid coverage from all over the world. While geo-blocking typically restricts coverage when overseas to local providers - and some places of work, study or even leisure may stop you from streaming because of bandwidth restrictions - there's a really easy way to solve these issues.

The answer is as simple as downloading and installing the best VPN service, which will then allow you to tell your computer, phone, tablet or other device that it's in a different country. This means you can tune in to your usual coverage from home, wherever you are, without having to resort to an illegal stream.

Use a VPN to watch Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games from anywhere

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Using a VPN is really simple - as easy as one-two-three, in fact!

1. Download and install a VPN - as we say, our top overall choice is ExpressVPN, which represents the best solution for most sports fans this Olympics

2. Connect to the appropriate server location - open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select the country where your home broadcaster is based

3. Go to the broadcaster's live stream - so if you're from the UK, just head to BBC iPlayer and log-in as usual

That's all there is to it! You'll now be able to watch all the Olympics action just like you would from the comfort of your own sofa.

Team USA's Ashleigh Johnson is rated as the best goalkeeper in the world — (Image credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

FREE Olympics water polo live stream in the UK

UK residents have the BBC channels for a 100% free live broadcast of the 2020 Olympics. BBC One and Two will air 350 hours of live footage from the competition in Tokyo. No cable access? No problem—the live stream will be available online on the BBC iPlayer.

Other streaming platforms covering the Olympics in the UK are Eurosport and Discovery+. Their subscriptions will cost £6.99/month and £4.99/month respectively. Other than Android and iOS, these services can be accessed through Samsung TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more devices.

Not in the UK for the 2020 Olympic games? You can still use a VPN to connect to servers in the country and stream all the games live.

How to watch Olympics water polo in the US without cable and on TV

In the US, NBC has the broadcasting rights for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, so cable users with NBC will have access to all the events. They’ll also have the option to watch it online on NBC’s streaming platform.

If you don’t have cable, you’ll have to subscribe to OTT services that have the NBC channel to stream the games. Peacock TV and fuboTV are two of the best available options.

fuboTV costs $64.99/month, but it comes with a 1-week free trial and is a complete cable replacement service with a comprehensive offering of NBC channels. As such, it's our recommendation for most sports fans in this instance.

At $4.99/month, Peacock TV is the most affordable option and provides a free trial of its own - though note that much of its programming schedule is given over to multi-sports coverage. This is great for general fans, but maybe a bit frustrating if you want end-to-end action of a specific discipline.

These streaming platforms can be accessed through Android, iOS, LG TV, Google Chrome Browser, Xbox, and several other devices. For more on which NBC channel is showing what and when, check out the network giant's website.

How to watch Olympics water polo in Canada

Sportsnet, CBC, TLN, and TSN are broadcasting the Tokyo Olympics in Canada. Cable subscribers can catch the games through any of these channels.

If you don’t have cable, you’ll have to subscribe to Sportsnet’s, CBC’s, or TSN’s online streaming services to view the games. TSN’s and Sportsnet’s streaming services cost CAD 19.99/month, but CBC provides free streaming. TLN doesn’t have a streaming service as of this writing.

Want to watch your coverage from abroad? Then don't forget that using a VPN is a great way to watch coverage overseas.

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How to live stream water polo at the Olympics for FREE in Australia

As we mentioned previously, Australia’s Channel 7 is broadcasting the Olympics for free. Channel 7 has exclusive broadcasting rights, and you’ll find the events airing on 7Mate and 7Two. Cord-cutters can try 7plus, Channel 7’s streaming service, which can be run on iOS, Android, web browsers, Fire TV, and other devices.

Not in Australia? Use a VPN if you're away from home, in order to tap into your local Olympics coverage.

More 2020 Olympics broadcasters around the world

If you're not in one of these countries, don't worry - the Olympics are being shown in most places around the world, though you might not luck out with free streaming and coverage levels vary considerably by location.

You can check what's on offer where you are with the help of the dedicated Wikipedia page of all of the world's Olympic Games channels.