How to watch rugby at the Tokyo Olympics

Rugby sevens action comes fast and furious at the Olympic Games, with multiple six-match sessions per day. Matches last just 14 minutes (two seven-minute halves) and full sessions generally run up to three hours in length.

Play begins Monday, July 26, with the first two rounds of pool play in the men’s tournament as the United Stats aims for a first Olympic medal behind speedster backs Carlin Isles and Perry Baker. Defending Olympic champions Fiji face a difficult gold medal defense as New Zealand enters the competition in dominant form.

Medal matches for the men’s tournament are slated for the early morning (Eastern Time) of Wednesday, July 28.

The following day sees the beginning of the women’s tournament, which concludes July 31. New Zealand could have a rugby gold medal sweep in sight should the men prevail, as the women’s team has been similarly dominant in recent international competition. The United States has showed significant improvement since a Rio 2016 quarterfinal exit and could contend for a medal.

Select rugby sessions will air live on the networks of NBC Universal (find full TV listings for water polo and any other Olympic sport on the full TV schedule). Every match can also be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

A full schedule of sessions, including links to stream, is below. Scroll further for a day-by-day rundown of matches scheduled within each session.

Questions about how to stream on your device? Visit our frequently asked questions page for more details.

Full Rugby Schedule