No Northern Ireland international is currently listed.
Every time below is UK time, and every channel is the UK broadcaster. Rebuilt daily as fixtures move and TV picks are confirmed.
Free football on Northern Ireland’s own channels
Taken from the Freeview schedule rather than the fixture list, so it includes highlights and magazine programmes as well as live matches.
- Saturday 19 September, 12pm Michele Kang: The Football Interview, BBC One, BBC One NI, BBC One Scotland, BBC One Wales
- Saturday 19 September, 12.05pm Women’s Super League: Charlton Athletic v London City Lionesses, BBC Two, BBC Two NI, BBC Two Wales — live
- Saturday 19 September, 3.05pm Final Score, BBC One, BBC One NI, BBC One Scotland, BBC One Wales — highlights
- Saturday 19 September, 10pm Match of the Day, BBC One, BBC One NI, BBC One Scotland, BBC One Wales — highlights
- Sunday 20 September, 7.05am Match of the Day, BBC One, BBC One NI, BBC One Scotland, BBC One Wales — highlights
- Sunday 20 September, 10pm Match of the Day, BBC One, BBC One NI, BBC One Scotland, BBC One Wales — highlights
- Monday 21 September, 7am Match of the Day, BBC Two, BBC Two NI, BBC Two Wales — highlights
- Thursday 24 September, 7pm Match of the Day Wales: Portugal v Wales, BBC Two, BBC Two NI — live
- Friday 25 September, 4.05pm International Football: Georgia v Northern Ireland, BBC Two, BBC Two NI, BBC Two Wales — live
Watching northern irish football without a subscription
BBC One and BBC Two Northern Ireland carry the national side’s qualifiers free to air.
Beyond that, the rules are the same as everywhere else in the UK: most live league football sits behind Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
Which Northern Ireland matches are free by law
This is the part most people get wrong, and it is worth being precise about. A short list of sporting events is protected in UK law as “listed events”, which means they must be shown live on free-to-air television and cannot be sold exclusively to a subscription broadcaster.
For football the Group A list is:
- The FIFA World Cup finals tournament — every match, not just the final. So if Northern Ireland qualify, the whole campaign is free.
- The UEFA European Championship finals tournament — again, every match
- The FA Cup final
What is not protected is just as important: qualifiers are not on the list. Northern Ireland’s route to a tournament is free only because the broadcasters have chosen to buy it, not because anyone is obliged to show it — and that arrangement can change. Nor is any league football protected, which is why no amount of legislation will put a Premier League Saturday afternoon on free TV.
Frequently asked questions
When are Northern Ireland playing next?
No Northern Ireland international is listed in the published schedule. Fixtures usually appear a few weeks before an international window.
Can I watch Northern Ireland football for free?
Nothing free is confirmed in the current schedule. BBC One and BBC Two Northern Ireland carry the national side’s qualifiers free to air.
What channel is the NIFL Premiership on?
Coverage is split between subscription broadcasters and the BBC. The table above shows the confirmed channel for each fixture, and which of them cost nothing.
Related: Football on free TV tonight · Women’s football on TV · What’s on TV tonight
Fixtures and TV listings updated daily, from TheSportsDB and the published Freeview schedule. Kick-off times are UK time and can change.
