How to watch the Commonwealth Games anywhere

The Commonwealth Games will be the first major athletics event to take place in the UK since the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

That tournament bought the country together like never before as the British cheered on their athletes and revelled in the unique excitement that only comes with a major sporting event.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games may not be quite on the same scale as its predecessor, but you can still expect it to bring back a degree of the fever that we all enjoyed back then.

That can be enjoyed on TV every bit as much as in the live crowds, but if you live outside the UK, and especially outside the Commonwealth, the chances are that you will struggle to find coverage.

The good news is that it is possible to watch live coverage of the Commonwealth Games no matter where in the world you are. And in this guide, we will show exactly how you can do this.

When are the Commonwealth Games taking place?

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place from the 28th July – 8th August in the UK’s second city of Birmingham.

There are a few events being held outside of these dates, but all of the key ones are in this window.

Where can I watch the Commonwealth Games?

If you can’t make it to Birmingham in person, you will be able to watch all of the Commonwealth Games live and on-demand on the BBC.

It will be the 18th time the BBC have shown the Commonwealth Games, and through their terrestrial channels, digital channels, and online streaming platform, the BBC iPlayer, viewers will be hard-pressed to find an event they can’t watch somewhere.

For the first time ever, they will also be showing more women’s medal events than men’s, a move which was described by England netballer Eboni Usoro-Brown as “fantastic”.

Unfortunately for overseas viewers, the BBC only broadcasts to UK viewers. But that is where we can help.

What you need to watch where you are

If you want to watch the Commonwealth Games outside the UK, you will need the help of a VPN to unblock the BBC iPlayer and allow you to do this.

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a small online privacy and security tool that can be downloaded as an app onto your device.

It works by rerouting your internet traffic through one of its servers. If you choose a UK-based server, this has the unintended consequence of unblocking things like the BBC iPlayer, which are geo-restricted for UK internet users only.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN service to use for streaming the Commonwealth Games.

It is fast, making it great for streaming, there are lots of UK-based servers, and there are also apps for almost every device, which means that you can watch the Commonwealth Games on whatever device you like.

There is even a 30-day money-back guarantee which gives you lots of time to try before you buy!

Alternatives if you don’t fancy ExpressVPN are NordVPN and CyberGhost VPN. The choice is yours!

30-day money back guarantee

How to live stream the Commonwealth Games in any country

Once you have chosen your preferred VPN, using it to unblock the BBC iPlayer and enjoy watching the Commonwealth Games on the BBC from anywhere is easy.

We have compiled this step-by-step guide to help you get everything set up:

1. Sign up to ExpressVPN by clicking a link on this article and then choosing your preferred subscription package. The annual deal comes with an extra 3 months free and is our recommendation.
2. Download the ExpressVPN app onto whatever device you prefer to stream on. There are apps for every device you can think of but always download from your app store or the ExpressVPN website.
3. Open the app and log in to your ExpressVPN account.
4. Click on Selected Location and then choose the United Kingdom. Finally, press Connect.
5. Once it has connected, open the BBC iPlayer app or webpage as usual. Log into your account (they are free to create if you don’t have one) and then enjoy all the action at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Stream the games anywhere using ExpressVPN.

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Where are the Commonwealth Games taking place?

As we have already noted, the Commonwealth Games will take place in Birmingham, UK.

That is slightly misleading, however, as in actual fact, events are taking place right across the West Midlands region.

The main athletics arena is the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, while the Sandwell Aquatics Centre will play host to the majority of water sports events.

Cycling will take place at West Park in Wolverhampton, cricket at the famous Edgbaston ground, while other venues will include the NEC, the Coventry Stadium, and Myton Fields in Warwick.

Who to look out for?

It is always difficult to say ahead of a huge tournament like this who the standout stars will be. Big names often fail to perform, while plucky underdogs frequently come from nowhere to steal the headlines.

Having said that, there are a few names that are attracting a lot of attention ahead of the Games.

Adam Peaty will be competing in the pool for England, fresh from his triumph at the Tokyo Olympics and, of course, his less successful stint on Strictly Come Dancing.

Laura Muir will be running for Scotland in the 1,500 metres, and off the back of a silver medal in Tokyo, she will be hoping to go one better. Welsh hopes on the track will sit with Jake Heywood, who is also competing in the 1,500m, having made the final himself in Japan.

In gymnastics, Max Whitlock will be hoping to secure some medals for England, while Dina Asher-Smith is the big home hope on the track in the 200m.

Summary

The BBC’s extensive coverage will ensure that no one in the UK has to miss a moment of Commonwealth Games action.

With a VPN, the same can be said for people overseas too. ExpressVPN is our recommendation for you to use. Just sign up, download the app, connect to a UK server, and then log into the BBC iPlayer as usual.

This summer will see a feast of sporting excitement in Birmingham. It could also be the last Commonwealth Games to take place “on this scale”, if some commentators are to be believed.

The good news is that with a VPN, you don’t have to miss a second no matter where in the world you are.