Every single game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be available free-to-air in Ireland. RTÉ confirmed this afternoon that all 104 matches will be broadcast live — a genuine landmark for Irish sports broadcasting.
The scale of this tournament demands that kind of commitment. With 48 nations competing across three host countries — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — this is a structurally different competition to anything that's come before. More games, more time zones, more storylines running simultaneously. RTÉ's multi-platform response is the only approach that really makes sense.
Who's on the panel
The punditry lineup is substantial. James McClean, Shay Given, Ronnie Whelan, Ray Houghton, Dietmar Hamann, Áine O'Gorman, Kenny Cunningham, Stephen Kelly, Keith Treacy, Richie Sadlier, Alan Cawley, Kevin Doyle and Niamh Fahey will all feature as analysts across the tournament.
That's a mix worth paying attention to. Houghton and Whelan bring genuine World Cup experience. Hamann adds a continental perspective that Irish panels have sometimes lacked. McClean, still close enough to the game to be sharp, will be an interesting voice on a tournament Ireland unfortunately won't be part of.
Joanne Cantwell, Peter Collins, Marie Crowe, Jacqui Hurley, Clare MacNamara and Tony O'Donoghue will present, while Des Curran, Darragh Maloney, Adrian Eames, John Kenny and Cathal Mullaney handle commentary duties.
How to watch
Coverage will span RTÉ2, RTÉ Player, RTÉ News, RTÉ Radio 1 and social channels. A dedicated World Cup pop-up channel will run continuous content throughout the competition — useful given matches will kick off at unusual hours due to the North American time difference.
- RTÉ Player streams all 104 games live
- RTÉ Radio 1's Inside Sport provides daily updates with Crowe and Hurley
- Highlights and live blogs available on RTÉ Sport online and the RTÉ News app
- Raf Diallo hosts extended RTÉ Soccer Podcast episodes from North America
- RTÉ Kids partners with the FAI for Total Football season two, launching Tuesday at 5.30pm on RTÉ2
Group Head of RTÉ Sport Declan McBennett put it plainly: "This World Cup is unlike anything we've seen before, not just in its size but in the way fans will experience it."
He's right. And for once, Irish audiences won't have to scramble for a stream to follow it.
