How to watch sumo online from outside Japan
NHK WORLD-JAPAN, Japan's international broadcaster, runs an English-language program called GRAND SUMO Highlights during each of the six yearly tournaments. It is the most straightforward way to follow sumo from outside Japan, and the next tournament (Kyushu Basho, in Fukuoka) starts on 8 November 2026.
What you are seeing
- NHK's own page describes GRAND SUMO Highlights as daily highlights from the six-times-a-year Grand Sumo Tournament, presented in English, with a short "Sumopedia" explainer after the highlight show each day.
- On the days between tournaments the page keeps the previous tournament's videos for a limited time. At the time of writing it showed September tournament videos available until 12 October, and the next tournament listed from 8 November.
- Highlights are an edited selection, not every bout. If you want to follow one wrestler through a full day, a highlights show will often skip him.
What to watch next
- Before the tournament starts, look up the broadcast schedule for your region on NHK WORLD-JAPAN's own site. Times and live segments can change from one tournament to the next, so check the schedule rather than relying on an old forum post.
- Learn the three or four words the commentary uses most (yokozuna, ozeki, kimarite, basho) so the English commentary lands faster. The ranks guide on this site covers the first two.
- If you are going to the arena, a highlights show is a good way to learn what a normal bout looks like before you sit down and see one at full speed.
A common first-timer mistake
Expecting a full, bout-by-bout live stream of every division for free. The English-language highlights cover the best-known bouts. Anything more complete usually sits on Japan-based streaming services that have their own regional limits and terms of use, so read those terms before you pay.
Words you may hear
- Basho
- a Grand Sumo tournament; there are six a year
- Makuuchi
- the top division, whose bouts make up most of a highlights show
- Sumopedia
- NHK's short explainer segment that follows the daily highlights
Sources and review
Created and photographed in Ryogoku by a Tokyo-based spectator. Facts reviewed against Japan Sumo Association materials on 25 August 2026.