How to live stream the Grand National 2022 for free and from anywhere RIGHT NOW

Have you picked your Grand National 2022 winner? With over 500 million viewers in more than 140 countries set to tune in, the world's most iconic steeplechase has arrived. Read on for your full guide to getting a Grand National live stream and watching online from anywhere. 

One of sports most visceral spectacles, 40 runners and riders are set to take on the 4 miles and 514 yards of grass racetrack this year, with intimidating jumps such as the Open Ditch, Becher's Brook and The Chair still able to strike fear into the hearts of even the most seasoned of jockeys.

Last year's historic race saw Rachael Blackmore come home first on Minella Times, and the Irish jockey is set to return on the Gelding on a high after dominating at Cheltenham Festival last month.

With spectators back at last at Aintree this year, it looks set to be a memorable race and we've got all the info on how to live stream the Grand National no matter where you are in the world with our guide below. And if you happen to be outside of the country and can't access your preferred domestic broadcaster, you can always use a VPN to bypass those geo-restrictions.

What time is the Grand National live stream?

The biggest event in the UK's racing calendar takes place at Aintree Racecourse, Merseyside on Saturday, April 9.

The horses are set to be under starter's orders at 5.15pm BST local time, making it a 12.15pm ET, 9.15am PT start for racing fans in the US and Canada and a 2.15am AEST on Sunday morning start in Australia.

Watch a free live stream of the 2022 Grand National

You can watch all the drama from Aintree unfold with a Grand National live stream via ITV1, completely free-to-air in the UK. Alternatively, you can watch the Grand National online on ITV Hub with the ability to watch it live on any device, including:

• Desktop: Windows, Mac
• Mobiles: iOS, Android
• Streaming devices: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Now TV
• Consoles: Xbox One, Xbox One S, Nvidia Shield
• Smart TVs: Samsung TV (2012 and later), FreeSat, YouView (BT, Talk Talk, Sony), Freeview Play, Virgin V6 Box

How to live stream the Grand National 2022 if you're abroad

If you're out of the country for this weekend's action from Aintree, you can still get access to a live stream - simply use the best VPN around to avoid geo-restrictions. 

With most domestic broadcasters locking streaming services to their country, you may hit a wall when it comes to accessing the likes of ITV, TSN and Kayo when overseas. However, by getting yourself a handy streaming VPN, you can hop onto a server within the US or UK (or anywhere else for that matter depending on where your online content is geo-restricted to), and this will switch your IP address to make it appear as if you're browsing right from the comfort of your own home.

ExpressVPN is our pick of VPN providers - With its consistent high speeds, and wealth of security features, alongside its ability to unlock geo-restricted content, you can live stream this weekend's rugby with ExpressVPN.

Better still, it offers new customers a 30-day money back guarantee, allowing you to give it a go and find out if it's actually the service for you before you well and truly part with your hard-earned dollar. Better still, right now you can receive an additional 3 months with your plan for free.

- Try out ExpressVPN 100% risk free to live stream the Grand National

• New to VPN? Find out how to use one to unblock geo-restrictions

Can I live stream the Grand National in the US?

It's doesn't seem to be good news for horse racing fans in the US. 

Despite the race's iconic status, at the time of writing there isn't a confirmed linear US broadcaster for this year's event.

Your best bet is to use a VPN service as described above, set your location to a country on this page that is broadcasting the race and go from there. But do consider that most paid streaming services will require a credit card based in the country the service is from.

How to live stream the Grand National anywhere else in the world

Looking for a 2022 Grand Nation live stream where you are? Here's the options we have for the rest of the world to catch the horse racing's most famous event.

It's good news for those looking to tune in from Ireland, as free-to-air terrestrial channel Virgin Media One will be broadcasting this year's live. You can watch online for free using Virgin Media Player - or via its TV Anywhere app.

Canadian horse racing fans can live stream the 2022 Grand National on the CBC Sports website.

Coverage kicks off at 9am ET / 6am PT on Saturday morning, with the main race set to begin at 12.15pm ET / 9.15am PT.

For those willing to wake up at an unsociable hour Down Under, subscription service Foxtel holds the live broadcast rights to the Grand National 2022 rights Down Under, with the race set to be shown on Sky Thoroughbred Central at 2.15am AEST on Sunday morning.

How to use a VPN to unblock any restrictions

If you're outside of your preferred broadcaster's boundaries, you can use a VPN to unblock any geo-restrictions and live stream the 2022 Grand National as if you were right at home. Here's our step-by-step guide on how to do just that.

• VPN - standing for virtual private network - offers security and anomality as you browse online, using set protocols to encrypt your data and make it unreadable to outsiders.
• As a part of that, you can also switch your IP address, which identifies your location.
• Most VPNs offer a list of locations where its servers are based to join. Connecting to them switches your IP to appear as if you're browsing from that country/city. In turn, you can then access content locked to that country.
• When it comes to finding a VPN, you should make sure you find the best one that's suitable for your chosen device, with VPN providers offering compatibility for a ton of devices, including VPN for Mac, VPN for Android smartphones, an iPad VPN, and even a range of fairly nifty free VPNs.
• Once you've made the decision for the most suitable VPN for your device and your means for using a VPN, sign-up and install it. 
• To live stream the 2022 Grand National, all you need to do is select a UK server from its list of available servers and connect. You'll then be able to hop over those geo-restrictions with the likes of BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub opening its online gates to you.
• We also want to ensure your money is well spent, so we would recommend going for a VPN that offers a risk free trial. ExpressVPN is one of many providers that has a 30-day money back guarantee.

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