Wimbledon and Tour de France 2026: Watch Both Without Paying for Another Subscription
Both events are on at the same time this July — and most European families can watch everything for free if they know where to look.
Right now, this week, two of sport's biggest events are running simultaneously. Wimbledon is into its second week (finals are this weekend, 11–12 July). The Tour de France rolled out of Barcelona on 4 July and won't reach Paris until the 26th. If your family includes a tennis fan and a cycling fan, the temptation to sign up for an extra sports subscription is real.
Don't do it yet. Most European families can watch both tournaments for free — or through subscriptions they already have.
Where you can watch Wimbledon for free
Switzerland: SRF, RTS, and RSI all carry live Wimbledon coverage at no cost. If you're in Switzerland and haven't bookmarked srf.ch/sport yet, do it today.
UK: BBC One, BBC Two, and BBC iPlayer carry every match across all 18 courts in full. All you need is a TV licence — no streaming subscription required. iPlayer even has dedicated Centre Court coverage in 4K.
Germany and Austria: Eurosport (which is included in many cable and satellite packages) and some free-to-air ARD/ZDF slots cover Wimbledon. Check your existing TV package before assuming you need to pay extra.
Everywhere else: Many ISPs and telco packages include Eurosport or a similar sports channel. It's worth a five-minute check of your current bundle before handing over payment details.
The exception is the US, where ESPN moved all Wimbledon streaming to its Unlimited tier at $29.99 per month in 2026. If you're in Europe, you almost certainly have a free path.
Where you can watch Tour de France for free
The Tour de France is genuinely one of the most accessible major sporting events in Europe from a streaming standpoint. This year's race started in Barcelona and runs until 26 July — 21 stages across Spain and France.
France: France Télévisions covers the race live and free. France.tv lets you stream it on any device.
Switzerland: RTS carries live stage coverage for French-speaking Switzerland, and SRF has coverage for German-speaking viewers. Both are free.
Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Ireland: Each country has free-to-air national broadcaster coverage. RTVE Play (Spain), RaiPlay (Italy), Sporza/RTBF Auvio (Belgium), NOS (Netherlands) — all free, all streamable.
UK: This is the awkward one. TNT Sports holds exclusive live rights in the UK, at £30.99 per month as a standalone subscription. Channel 5 runs free highlights at 7pm each evening — a reasonable alternative if you're not a hardcore cycling fan.
The subscription trap to avoid
Here's where families get burned every summer. You sign up for a sports tier "just for Wimbledon" or "just for the Tour." The tournament ends. Life gets busy. The subscription keeps quietly charging £10–30 per month for the next six months until someone notices.
That's how a two-week sports event turns into a £180 annual expense.
If you genuinely need a paid service — say, TNT Sports in the UK for the Tour — set a cancellation reminder before you enter any payment details. SubManager can alert you 7 or 14 days before any renewal, which means you make the decision to keep or cancel before you're charged, not after.
It only takes one forgotten sports subscription to pay for several years of subscription tracking.
A quick check before you subscribe to anything
Before signing up for a new sports package, run through these:
- Does your existing TV, broadband, or phone bundle include Eurosport or a sports tier?
- Does your bank or credit card offer free or discounted sports streaming as a perk?
- Is there a free national broadcaster covering this event in your country?
- Could you catch highlights on a free-to-air channel rather than paying for live access?
The answer is often "yes" to at least one of these. SubManager's family dashboard makes it easy to see what subscriptions your household already has, so you're not doubling up on something you already pay for through a bundle.
The final week of Wimbledon
With the Ladies' Singles Final on Saturday 12 July and the Gentlemen's Final on Sunday 13 July, the best tennis of the tournament is still ahead. For the Tour de France, the decisive mountain stages are coming up in the second and third weeks.
Both events are worth watching. Neither one should cost you an extra subscription if you do five minutes of research first.