BBC seals Home Nations football coverage

The BBC has secured exclusive UK broadcast rights to show all World Cup qualifiers for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland’s men’s teams live under a new agreement with UEFA.

A total of 41 matches, including friendlies and Scotland’s Nations League play-off against Greece later this month, have been covered under the deal. The matches will be available on BBC One in each nation and BBC iPlayer, with key fixtures also broadcast across the UK on network television.

The agreement ensures that all home nations’ World Cup qualifiers will be accessible on free-to-air television, with ITV holding the rights to England’s matches.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, featuring 48 teams for the first time. Scotland last qualified for the tournament in 1998, Northern Ireland in 1986, while Wales ended a 64-year absence by competing in Qatar in 2022.

BBC’s existing coverage of international football also includes live radio broadcasts on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Scotland, and BBC Radio Cymru, as well as digital coverage through the BBC Sport app.