The live stream of the 2024 Olympic Games between the United States and Japan women's basketball is shaping up to be a fascinating encounter between a nation bent on revenge after losing in the final three years ago and an all-conquering U.S. squad.

The U.S. has been untouchable since the Olympic basketball tournament evolved to its current 12-team format. The switch took place in 1996, when the U.S. team defeated Brazil 111-87 in the final. Since then, the U.S. has defended this title six times, 48 matches in a row.

Team USA, with Aya Wilson, Alyssa Thomas, and Diana Taurasi, will have some teeth. However, they face a tough opening group stage match against Japan, who will be looking for revenge for a home-court loss in 2021. There may be no true superstar, but 31-year-old Rui Machida is a match-deciding force, and her veteran experience will be vital.

Check out our guide on how to watch the 2024 Olympics so you don't miss a single moment of the Paris Games

Australian viewers who want to enjoy every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympics are in luck.

That means the 2024 Olympic women's basketball group game between the United States and Japan will be broadcast on both Channel 9 and 9Gem and available for free on the 9Now streaming service for most streaming devices.

Additional free coverage of the Paris Olympics is available in Canada (CBC Gem) and the United Kingdom (BBC iPlayer). However, these networks do not televise all of the competitions, so you may need to subscribe to a premium service to watch full coverage in these countries.

If you are usually in one of these countries but not during the Paris Olympics, you don't have to miss out thanks to the best VPNs; with a VPN, you can watch the streaming you want from anywhere in the world. Our favorite is NordVPN.

If you are not in your country during the 2024 Olympics and cannot live stream the women's basketball game between the U.S. and Japan wherever you are, you can still watch via a virtual private network, or VPN. VPNs allow you to watch the game from Pretend you are surfing the web from home, allowing you to access the streaming services you have already paid for. It's legal and easy to do.

We've tested a variety of VPN services and our favorite is NordVPN. They offer great speeds, excellent customer service, and a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee, so try them out first and see if they're right for you. But there are other VPN options too, so check out our full list of the best VPN services.

Using a VPN is incredibly easy.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we have mentioned, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. select the location you want to connect to with the VPN app. For example, if you are in the U.S. and want to see your usual U.K. service, select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action: go to BBC iPlayer and watch the Olympic women's basketball game between the U.S. and Japan live online.

The United States is set to host the Olympics in 2028, with Los Angeles, California confirmed as the host city. However, to enjoy this year's Olympics in Paris, France, American viewers will rely on NBCUniversal to broadcast the USA vs. Japan women's basketball game on USA. This broadcast could be included in cable television packages.

The best option, however, is NBC's streaming service Peacock, which promises to live stream all of the Paris Olympics events and provide daily highlights of medal-winning moments. Viewing requires a Premium membership ($7.99/month) or Premium Plus membership ($13.99/month, also partially ad-free).

Cord cutters can opt for Sling TV. The Sling Blue package costs $45 per month and provides access to more than 30 channels, including NBC, USA, and MSNBC in select markets. Or you can opt for Fubo, whose Pro plan costs $79.99/month and gives you access to 121 channels, including all of NBC's channels airing the 2024 Olympics.

If you are outside the U.S., you can still watch the Olympic 2024 women's basketball game between the U.S. and Japan using a VPN such as NordVPN if you have one of these subscriptions.

In the good old days, the BBC was the exclusive UK broadcaster of the Olympics, but that all changed with the arrival of Discovery in 2021. Fortunately, you can still watch many of the competitions for free on the BBC and BBC iPlayer, but remember that not everything is available.

Brits who don't want to miss a single second need to invest in Discovery Plus. For £6.99 per month for the standard plan (reduced to £3.99 per month during the Olympics), you can watch the 2024 Paris Games. Having to pay to watch the Olympics is an alien concept to many in the UK, but if you pay, you get access to all Olympic sports, including the women's basketball game between the US and Japan.

All of these things are great. But if you're not in the UK, you can still watch the USA vs. Japan women's basketball game at Olympics 2024 with the best VPN services like NordVPN.

Canada's Olympic coverage is split between CBC, Sportsnet, and TSN, and many events are streamed live for free on CBC Gem.

CBC Gem is a free platform, but paying $5.99 per month (for a 7-day free trial) removes some ads and gives access to the service's on-demand library. However, if you don't mind commercials, you can enjoy most of Olympic 2024 for free.

Access to Sportsnet, on the other hand, requires a Sportsnet Plus subscription for $19.99 per month or $179.99 per year, or you can opt for Plus Premium for $34.99 per month or $249.99 per year. Finally, you can also subscribe to TSN for $19.99 per month or $199.90 per year.

If you are a Canadian stuck abroad and want to access regular services, you can use a VPN such as NordVPN to make your device think you are at home in Canada.

Regardless of the final medal count, the real winners of the 2024 Olympics will be the Australians. That's because in the Land of Oz, all Olympic competitions will be broadcast for free on Channel 9 and 9Gem, with online live streams available via 9Now.

Now unavailable in Australia, you can watch the USA vs. Japan women's basketball game on 9Now as if you were in your own country, simply by using a VPN like NordVPN.

If you want to watch Olympic 2024 in 4K in Australia, you need Stan Sport, a Stan Sport add-on that lets you watch all sessions of all Olympic competitions ad-free for $15. You also need the Stan Premium basic plan for $21/month.

In New Zealand, the Olympics are usually split between TVNZ, a free service, and Sky Sport, a premium provider; this is not the case for the 2024 Paris Olympics; TVNZ is broadcasting the 2024 Paralympics, but not the Olympics No.

New Zealanders who subscribe to Sky Sport can watch the 2024 Olympics telecast. They can also subscribe to Sky Sport Now for live streaming digitally for $29.99 per week or $49.99 per month.

Sky Sport Now also has a limited-time Paris Olympics 2024 Pass, a one-time fee of $34.99 that gives full access to Sky Sports and ESPN from July 25-August 12, along with 12 Olympic channels and all other sports 12 Olympic channels and all other sports. Not bad.

During the women's basketball game between the US and Japan at Olympics 2024, New Zealand residents abroad can follow the regular streaming service by using the best VPN services like NordVPN.