The Australian Open returns to Melbourne in 2026, bringing nearly three weeks of world-class tennis to kick off the new season. From qualifying rounds to the championship finals, here’s everything you need to know about the tournament schedule.
Qualifying for this year’s Australian Open gets underway on Monday, January 12, and the tournament climaxes with the men’s singles final on Sunday, February 1. The qualifying phase of the Australian Open 2025 features homegrown Aussie hopefuls, rising stars of the sport, two former Grand Slam finalists (Jennifer Brady & Kei Nishikori) and a Grand Slam winner (Sloane Stephens). They are all vying for a place in the main draw of the tournament. Final-round qualifying matches take place on Thursday, January 15, and they will determine the 16 men and 16 women who will progress to the main draw section.
The top-ranked players automatically enter the main draw, which gets going on Sunday, January 18, with 32 seeds announced before the draw to ensure they do not meet in the early rounds. It’s going to be a marathon of non-stop action from Melbourne, but it’s hardly a chore watching the very best court connoisseurs on the planet go head-to-head. This edition of the Australian Open marks the third straight year of a Sunday main-draw start, a change to the tournament schedule which fans have enthusiastically embraced. 80,000+ spectators turned up for the Sunday main-draw starts in 2024 and 2025.
More 2026 Australian Open News
Let GOAL help take you through all the schedule information you require ahead of the Australian Open 2026 and how you can watch and stream all the action from Melbourne.
What is the Australian Open 2026 schedule?
The general Australian Open 2026 schedule is as follows:
- Men’s & women’s singles qualifying: January 12-15
- Men’s & women’s singles: January 18 - February 1
- Men’s, women’s & mixed doubles: January 19-31
- Wheelchair events: January 25-31
- Junior events: January 24 - February 1
The detailed day-to-day Australian Open 2026 schedule is as follows:
| Date (Session) | Play starts (show courts) | Play starts (outer courts) | Featured matches (singles) | TV Channel | Streaming US / UK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Jan 12 (Day) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | 10 am AEDT (6 pm ET / 11 pm GMT) | Qualifying | TBC | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Tue Jan 13 (Day) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | 10 am AEDT (6 pm ET / 11 pm GMT) | Qualifying | TBC | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Wed Jan 14 (Day) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | 10 am AEDT (6 pm ET / 11 pm GMT) | Qualifying | TBC | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Thu Jan 15 (Day) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | 10 am AEDT (6 pm ET / 11 pm GMT) | Qualifying | TBC | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Sun Jan 18 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | First round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Sun Jan 18 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | First round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Mon Jan 19 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | First round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Mon Jan 19 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | First round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Tue Jan 20 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | First round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Tue Jan 20 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | First round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Wed Jan 21 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | Second round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Wed Jan 21 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | Second round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Thu Jan 22 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | Second round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Thu Jan 22 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | Second round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Fri Jan 23 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | Third round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Fri Jan 23 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | Third round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Sat Jan 24 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | Third round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Sat Jan 24 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | Third round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Sun Jan 25 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | Fourth round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Sun Jan 25 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | Fourth round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Mon Jan 26 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | Fourth round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Mon Jan 26 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | Fourth round | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Tue Jan 27 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | Quarterfinals | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Tue Jan 27 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | Quarterfinals | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Wed Jan 28 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | Quarterfinals | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Wed Jan 28 (Night) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Continued from day session | Quarterfinals | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Thu Jan 29 (Twilight) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | 11 am AEDT (7 pm ET / 12 am GMT) | Women's semifinals | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Fri Jan 30 (Day) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | First men’s semifinal | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Fri Jan 30 (Night) | 7.30 pm AEDT (3.30 am ET / 8.30 am GMT) | Continued from day session | Second men’s semifinal | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
| Sat Jan 31 (Twilight) | 12 pm AEDT (8 pm ET / 1 am GMT) | Women's final | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ | |
| Sun Feb 1 (Twilight) | 7 pm AEDT (3 am ET / 8 am GMT) | Men's final | Nine Network (ESPN / TNT Sports) | Fubo / Discovery+ |
How to watch the Australian Open 2026 in the US
Even if you can’t make it to Melbourne Park in person, you can still feel like a part of the electric atmosphere from the comfort of your own home! Tennis fans in the United States will be able to watch all the Australian Open action across ESPN’s live TV channels, with every match also streamed live on ESPN+.
Fubo is a top-quality streaming service that now has ESPN included in all its packages, so it offers access to the Australian Open tennis and a whole world of sports. Fubo offers multiple subscription plans, including the 'Fubo Sports', which costs $45.99 for the first month and then $55.99 per month for subsequent months. It's streamlined and sports-focused with over 28 channels, including ESPN Unlimited, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, NFL Network, Tennis Channel, and local networks like ABC, CBS, and Fox.
How to watch the Australian Open 2026 in the UK
In the UK, coverage of the Australian Open tennis will be extensively shown live across TNT Sports platforms. You can watch via TNT Sports' TV channels on Sky, BT and Virgin Media platforms and live stream on discovery+. Discovery+ Premium is £30.99 per month and available on a monthly rolling contract. This includes TNT Sports and other entertainment channels. Existing BT broadband customers can access TNT Sports for £20 per month. The package consists of TNT Sports and Discovery+.
How to watch the Australian Open 2026 in Australia
The Nine Network is the official free-to-air broadcaster of tennis in Australia, including the Australian Open and all the other Grand Slams. All the major matches during the Melbourne fortnight will feature on the free-to-air channel. However, you can watch every single Australian Open match on Channel 9's on-demand streaming service 9Now, as well as on Stan Sport. 9Now is available for free, you just have to create an account, whereas Stan Sport will require a paid subscription. Stan offers various packages. Basic is AU$12 per month, Standard is AU$17 p/m and the Premium is AU$21 p/m. The Stan Sport add-on is AU$15 p/m + your base subscription fee.
Watch the Australian Open 2026 from anywhere with a VPN
If the Australian Open isn't available to watch live in your area or if you're travelling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection that lets you bypass geographical restrictions and access your favourite streaming services from anywhere.
We recommend ExpressVPN if you're unsure which VPN to choose, but you can also check out our in-depth VPN guide to determine which one is best for you.
