Arabic version: مواعيد انطلاق كأس ملبورن وطرق المشاهدة وتوقعات الطقس

According to ABC News, the 2026 Melbourne Cup will be run at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday, November 3, as the seventh of 10 races on the program. The event will be the 166th running of the famous horse race, with Australian contenders and international raiders preparing for the race that stops the nation.

The Cup is scheduled to start at 3pm AEDT in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and the ACT. It will begin at 2:30pm ACDT in South Australia, 2pm AEST in Queensland, 1:30pm ACST in the Northern Territory, noon AWST in Western Australia and 5pm NZDT in New Zealand.

The Nine Network holds the television rights for the 2026 Melbourne Cup. All 10 Flemington races will be shown on Channel Nine and streamed on Nine Now. ABC Sport will provide live digital coverage through a Melbourne Cup Day live blog, while the Cup can also be heard on radio, online and through the ABC Listen app.

Rain is forecast around Melbourne before and on Cup Day. The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast between 3 and 15 millimetres in Melbourne on Monday, followed by a possible morning shower on Tuesday. Last year’s Cup, won by Half Yours, followed significant rain and was contested on a track rated Soft 6.

A field of 24 is expected, with number 20 Point of Law the favourite. The UK thoroughbred, sired by Frankel and trained by Ciaron Maher, has had five starts for three wins, including the Geelong Cup last month.