In a significant development for sports broadcasting, the UK public service broadcaster BBC has secured an exclusive deal to broadcast all matches from the men's soccer national teams of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. This landmark agreement comes a year after Viaplay's exit from the UK market.
This is an unprecedented move as it marks the first time that the BBC has held broadcast rights for all three countries simultaneously. The deal was struck with UEFA, European soccer's governing body and will run up to the showpiece 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Comprehensive coverage
The agreement ensures comprehensive coverage of every team’s matches including those in European zone qualifiers for World Cup, UEFA Nations League competition and any other international friendlies they have organize. In total, this deal will include 41 live matches across these three teams. Games will be shown on primary BBC One channel in each respective territory as well as on the free OTT streaming platform - BBC iPlayer.
Apart from television broadcasts, fans can also tune into their regional radio broadcasters or use the BBC Sport app to follow each game. This multi-platform approach ensures maximum reach and accessibility for fans across different regions. Prior to this arrangement with BBC, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales had been without a permanent long-term broadcast deal since embattled broadcaster Viaplay withdrew from UK market in 2024. It had previously acquired rights to these teams' games for 2024-28 cycle back in 2022.
A temporary solution was found when ITV agreed to broadcast four crucial Nations League games (two each from Scotland and Northern Ireland) in September of 2024. However, this new agreement with BBC provides much-needed security of long-term rights for all three countries.
England’s TV rights status
While BBC has secured rights for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, England's TV rights are exclusively held by rival ITV. This deal is set to run past the World Cup through June 2028.
Both BBC and ITV share broadcast rights for major tournaments such as the World Cup and European Championships. Home nations games are similarly split between them. The upcoming 2026 World Cup will be hosted across the US, Mexico, and Canada with an expanded team format of 48 teams. This presents a greater opportunity for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to qualify.
This exclusive deal between BBC and UEFA marks a significant shift in sports broadcasting landscape in UK. It not only ensures comprehensive coverage of home nations' matches but also provides long-term security for these teams after Viaplay's exit from UK market.
