This guide explains how to watch 2025 IFSC Climbing World Cup live streams over the first round of the competition. There are free viewing options in the US and Canada, and we also explain how you can use a VPN to watch your usual coverage if you're away from home.
• Dates: Friday, April 18 - Sunday, April 20, 2025
• FREE Streams: ISFC YouTube channel (US, Canada)
• UK: Discovery+, TNT Sports
• Europe: Discovery+, Eurosport
• Watch from anywhere: try NordVPN 100% risk-free
After a close-run bouldering event, the first lead and speed climbing round of the annual IFSC Climbing World Cup is here.
This year's World Cup competition pits the world's best boulderers, speed climbers, and lead climbers against each other over 14 separate competitions held across the globe and throughout the year.
Points from each competition are tallied up, and climbers are ranked on a leaderboard that decides the eventual world champions.
The first lead and speed climbing round of the season promises to be a corker, featuring a fresh set of young and hungry climbers ready to take the competition by storm
Read on to find out how and where to watch the 2025 IFSC Climbing World Cup wherever you are in the world.
Our guide to rock climbing terms will help you keep up with any unfamiliar jargon in the commentary, and if you want to give this exciting sport a try for yourself, you can also read about getting started in climbing.
Watch the IFSC Climbing World Cup for free in the U.S. and Canada
Want to watch from the U.S. or Canada? Then you're in luck, as you'll be able to stream the entire 2025 competition for free on the IFSC YouTube channel. In addition to live coverage, you can find highlights, interviews, and other awesome content from the competition. Viewers outside of the States and Canada can also access this content, but live coverage will be blocked.
If you're lucky enough to be in the U.S. or Canada, your viewing options aren't limited either, as live coverage is also available on the Olympics channel via Olympics.com. Here, you'll have access to even more highlights, build-up, and reaction to competition.
Traveling outside the U.S or Canada? You can still watch live as usual by using a quality VPN like NordVPN, which allows you to access the streams as if you were sitting on your sofa back home. Find out more below.
Use a VPN to watch the Climbing World Cup from anywhere
If you’re traveling overseas during the 2025 World Cup, geo-blocking restrictions mean you probably won't be able to watch as you usually would back home.
That doesn't mean you have to miss out, however. All you need to do to watch as if you were back home is get yourself a VPN (Virtual Private Network) – assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs, of course. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and the internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are. As an added bonus, the info going back and forth is also entirely encrypted.
In a competitive field, the knowledgeable people at TechRadar put NordVPN at the top of the podium.
Watch the IFSC World Cup from the UK and Europe
Thanks to a recently agreed rights deal, viewers in the United Kingdom and Europe can stream the semi-finals and finals of every 2025 IFSC World Cup events exclusively on Warner Bros Discovery’s streaming services.
In the UK and Ireland that means TNT Sports, which you can access via a subscription to Discovery+ Premium. It will cost you £30.99 per month in the UK and you’ll also get access to Champions League and Premier League football, Premiership rugby, cycling and loads more top sporting action. Alternatively, TNT Sports can be added to your Sky, BT, EE or Virgin Media TV package – costs vary by platform.
In Europe, you can watch 2025 Climbing World Cup live streams on Eurosport or via the Discovery+ platform.
And don’t forget, if you’re going to be traveling away from home during any of the Climbing World Cup events, you can use a VPN to watch your usual service as if you were back home.
About this week's event
After a close finish in the first bouldering event of the 2025/26 season, the world's best lead and speed climbers are limbering up to take their first chance at silverware.
Viewers can expect to see the world's best lead climbers like Toby Roberts and Janja Garnbret battling it out over an intense three days in Wujiang, China. Roberts is the reigning men's Olympic champion while Garnbret has an astonishing 32 IFSC World Cup golds to her name, over half coming in the lead competition.
Speed climbing greats like America's Samuel Watson and Lijuan Deng of China will also be eager to make their mark as they race up the wall in pursuit of gold.
IFSC World Cup Schedule
Qualification
- 6pm PT (April 24) / 9pm EST (April 24) / 2am BST (April 25) Speed qualification
- 4am PT (April 25) / 7am EST (April 25) / 12pm BST (April 25) Lead qualification
Semi-finals and finals
- 12am PT (April 26) / 3am EST (April 26) / 8am BST (April 26) Lead semi-finals
- 4.30am PT (April 26) / 7.30am EST (April 26) / 12.30pm BST (April 26) Speed finals
- 4am PT (April 27) / 7am EST (April 27) / 12pm BST (April 27) Lead finals
