RTÉ agree new deal to cover Ireland Women’s National Team games

Republic of Ireland women's national team manager Carla Ward and RTÉ presenter Marie Crowe during the ROI WNT and RTÉ announcement at Tallaght Stadium, Dublin. (Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile)

The Football Association of Ireland and RTÉ have agreed a new deal for live coverage of the Ireland Women’s National Team for the next two years.

The new deal across television and radio will see RTÉ cover all of Ireland’s games through to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, including the 2025 UEFA Nations League, International Friendlies and World Cup qualifiers.

The agreement extends a partnership that has been in place since 2019, where RTÉ’s coverage has continued to grow in tandem with the team’s success and reached a peak audience of 659,000 during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

FAI Commercial Director Sean Kavanagh said: “It is fantastic to extend our partnership with RTÉ to provide live coverage of our Ireland Women’s National Team as they begin a new era under Head Coach Carla Ward. We are really excited about the upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign and then pushing for qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, so it was important to have a committed partner to be part of that journey.

“RTÉ have showed incredible support over the last few years to help us grow our audience and fan base in tandem with the rise of women and girls’ football in Ireland. We are looking forward to continuing that partnership to inspire the next generation.”

Declan McBennett, RTÉ Group Head of Sport said: “We are delighted to continue to champion and support the Republic of Ireland’s Women’s national team and proud to be there with them every step of the way, since our first match broadcast in 2018.

“RTÉ is committed to airing and streaming the best of our national teams and games as part of our core public service media offering. We will be broadcasting all the Republic of Ireland’s Women’s and Men’s International games in 2025, as part of delivering an action-packed supporting year to fans.”

The RTÉ cameras will be in Tallaght Stadium for Carla Ward’s first game in charge of Ireland on Friday, February 21 as they host Türkiye in their UEFA Nations League opener. Coverages on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player will start from 19:00.