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In the world of professional tennis, there are four major tournaments that make up a Grand Slam. We had the Australian Open in January, and the French Open in May and June. Now, it's time for Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, before we finish with the US Open in August and September.
Taking place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, this tournament has something for everyone: Men's singles and doubles, Women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. It's four rounds of play, followed by a quarterfinals and semifinals, before reaching the finals. Who will end up on top? And more importantly, how will you watch it, especially if you don't have traditional cable? Here's what you need to know if you want to watch every Wimbledon match.
When Is the 2026 Wimbledon Championships?
(Credit: ESPN)Wimbledon is typically a two-week affair in June and July. This year, it runs from Monday, June 29, until Sunday, July 12. The Wimbledon Qualifying Competition took place June 22 through 25, and the draw was held on Friday, June 26. You can check here for a full schedule.
- Men's and women's singles: June 29 - July 12
- Men's and women's doubles: July 1 - 12
- Mixed doubles: July 3 - 9
- Junior events: July 4 - 12
- Wheelchair events: July 7 - 12
For the main draw, the Mixed Doubles Championship is on Thursday, July 9; the Ladies’ Championship and the Gentlemen’s Doubles Championship are on Saturday, July 11; and the Ladies’ Doubles Championship and Gentlemen’s Championship are on Sunday, July 12.
Who Is Playing in the 2026 Wimbledon Championships?
Wondering who you'll get to see at the tournament this year? Reigning men's champion Jannik Sinner returns ranked no. 1, Alexander Zverev is no. 3, and Novak Djokovic is no. 8. We'll also see Ben Shelton (5) and Taylor Fritz (7) at Wimbledon, the highest-ranked players from the US.
For women's, Aryna Sabalenka ranks no. 1, Elena Rybakina is no. 2, and reigning champion Iga Swiatek is at no. 3. From the United States, Jessica Pegula (4), Amanda Anisimova (6), and Coco Gauff (7) are also in the top 10.
This year's Wild Card entrants—those ranked too low to qualify automatically but have been accepted by the committee—have been named. For a full look at the competition's main draws, check out the Wimbledon website.
Will Serena Williams Play at Wimbledon?
Serena Williams is making a return to tennis after almost four years. She'll play in the women's singles and doubles matches alongside her sister Venus. The first round of women's singles will take place on June 29 and 30th, and the first round of women's doubles will take place on July 2 and July 3. She currently has no singles ranking, but received a wild card invitation, since she's been away from the sport for so long.
How to Stream the 2026 Wimbledon Championships
Since 2003, ESPN has been the exclusive home of the Wimbledon Championships, and that continues in 2026. If you have ESPN, you'll get every match. However, if you've long since cut the cord, you'll need a service that can give you access to Disney's sports service. Thankfully, ESPN offers its own streaming service, and many live TV subscriptions should come with the channel, as long as you have the appropriate sports package.
- DirecTV: While DirecTV's base package costs $59.99 for the first month and comes with ESPN Unlimited.
- ESPN Unlimited: Stream live sports and archived ESPN shows starting at $29.99 per month. Qualifying matches are exclusive to ESPN+.
- Fubo: Fubo carries ESPN, which you can get via the Sports plan for $55.99 per month. There is also a quarterly priced option.
- Sling: Sling's Essentials plan includes ESPN for $19.99 per month.
- YouTube TV: The streamer's Sports Plan includes ESPN for $64.99 per month.
As a reminder, you'll want to enable your TV's motion-smoothing option for the best picture while watching Wimbledon and any other televised sporting events. Equally as important, remember to turn it off when you're done, so your TV shows and movies don't have that dreaded "soap opera effect."
How to Watch Wimbledon for Free
If you don't have a streaming subscription, you may be able to tune into Wimbledon using a free trial.
How to Watch Wimbledon With a VPN
Alternatively, Wimbledon will air for free in the UK on BBC iPlayer/ITV. If you have a virtual private network (VPN), you might be able to use it to connect to a server in the UK to tune in for free. We recommend ExpressVPN, our top pick for location spoofing.
Here's how you can watch Wimbledon matches on BBC iPlayer with a VPN:
- Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN).
- Download the VPN app on your computer, phone, or preferred device.
- Connect to a server in the UK.
- Visit BBC iPlayer or ITV to start streaming.
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In the world of professional tennis, there are four major tournaments that make up a Grand Slam. We had the Australian Open in January, and the French Open in May and June. Now, it's time for Wimbledon, the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, before we finish with the US Open in August and September.
Taking place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, this tournament has something for everyone: Men's singles and doubles, Women's singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. It's four rounds of play, followed by a quarterfinals and semifinals, before reaching the finals. Who will end up on top? And more importantly, how will you watch it, especially if you don't have traditional cable? Here's what you need to know if you want to watch every Wimbledon match.
When Is the 2026 Wimbledon Championships?
(Credit: ESPN)Wimbledon is typically a two-week affair in June and July. This year, it runs from Monday, June 29, until Sunday, July 12. The Wimbledon Qualifying Competition took place June 22 through 25, and the draw was held on Friday, June 26. You can check here for a full schedule.
- Men's and women's singles: June 29 - July 12
- Men's and women's doubles: July 1 - 12
- Mixed doubles: July 3 - 9
- Junior events: July 4 - 12
- Wheelchair events: July 7 - 12
For the main draw, the Mixed Doubles Championship is on Thursday, July 9; the Ladies’ Championship and the Gentlemen’s Doubles Championship are on Saturday, July 11; and the Ladies’ Doubles Championship and Gentlemen’s Championship are on Sunday, July 12.
Who Is Playing in the 2026 Wimbledon Championships?
Wondering who you'll get to see at the tournament this year? Reigning men's champion Jannik Sinner returns ranked no. 1, Alexander Zverev is no. 3, and Novak Djokovic is no. 8. We'll also see Ben Shelton (5) and Taylor Fritz (7) at Wimbledon, the highest-ranked players from the US.
For women's, Aryna Sabalenka ranks no. 1, Elena Rybakina is no. 2, and reigning champion Iga Swiatek is at no. 3. From the United States, Jessica Pegula (4), Amanda Anisimova (6), and Coco Gauff (7) are also in the top 10.
This year's Wild Card entrants—those ranked too low to qualify automatically but have been accepted by the committee—have been named. For a full look at the competition's main draws, check out the Wimbledon website.
Will Serena Williams Play at Wimbledon?
Serena Williams is making a return to tennis after almost four years. She'll play in the women's singles and doubles matches alongside her sister Venus. The first round of women's singles will take place on June 29 and 30th, and the first round of women's doubles will take place on July 2 and July 3. She currently has no singles ranking, but received a wild card invitation, since she's been away from the sport for so long.
How to Stream the 2026 Wimbledon Championships
Since 2003, ESPN has been the exclusive home of the Wimbledon Championships, and that continues in 2026. If you have ESPN, you'll get every match. However, if you've long since cut the cord, you'll need a service that can give you access to Disney's sports service. Thankfully, ESPN offers its own streaming service, and many live TV subscriptions should come with the channel, as long as you have the appropriate sports package.
- DirecTV: While DirecTV's base package costs $59.99 for the first month and comes with ESPN Unlimited.
- ESPN Unlimited: Stream live sports and archived ESPN shows starting at $29.99 per month. Qualifying matches are exclusive to ESPN+.
- Fubo: Fubo carries ESPN, which you can get via the Sports plan for $55.99 per month. There is also a quarterly priced option.
- Sling: Sling's Essentials plan includes ESPN for $19.99 per month.
- YouTube TV: The streamer's Sports Plan includes ESPN for $64.99 per month.
As a reminder, you'll want to enable your TV's motion-smoothing option for the best picture while watching Wimbledon and any other televised sporting events. Equally as important, remember to turn it off when you're done, so your TV shows and movies don't have that dreaded "soap opera effect."
How to Watch Wimbledon for Free
If you don't have a streaming subscription, you may be able to tune into Wimbledon using a free trial.
How to Watch Wimbledon With a VPN
Alternatively, Wimbledon will air for free in the UK on BBC iPlayer/ITV. If you have a virtual private network (VPN), you might be able to use it to connect to a server in the UK to tune in for free. We recommend ExpressVPN, our top pick for location spoofing.
Here's how you can watch Wimbledon matches on BBC iPlayer with a VPN:
- Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN).
- Download the VPN app on your computer, phone, or preferred device.
- Connect to a server in the UK.
- Visit BBC iPlayer or ITV to start streaming.