The BBC has extended its rights agreement with UEFA for a further two years, ensuring every Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland senior men’s international football match remains live and free-to-air until June 2028.
The new agreement will see the BBC broadcast around 60 live matches across the next two years, including this autumn’s UEFA Nations League fixtures and every European Qualifier to EURO 2028 involving the three nations.
The extension builds on a hugely successful partnership that has made the BBC the home of international football for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland since March 2025. Since then, audiences have followed some of the most memorable moments in recent football history, including Scotland’s dramatic qualification for this summer’s FIFA World Cup and the agonising play off defeats suffered by Wales and Northern Ireland.
Every match has been available live on BBC television, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, bringing fans together across the UK and ensuring the biggest moments in international football remain accessible to everyone.
The appetite for live international football on the BBC has been reflected in record audiences. Millions of viewers turned to the BBC to witness one of Scottish football’s defining moments, with Scotland’s World Cup-clinching victory over Denmark attracting 1.1 million viewers in Scotland and an average audience of 2.7 million across the UK as the nation celebrated qualification for its first FIFA World Cup since 1998.
1.71 million viewers across the UK watched Wales play Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup qualifier play-off semi-finals, with 280,000 watching in Wales. Northern Ireland’s qualifier against Germany in the Group Stage was watched by an average audience of 1.11m UK-wide and 121,000 people watching in Northern Ireland alone.
This summer’s FIFA World Cup coverage has continued that momentum. Scotland’s opening group-stage match against Haiti drew a peak audience of 2.8 million viewers on BBC One and iPlayer, despite a 2am BST kick-off. An average audience of 2.4 million watched the match, with 78% of all television viewers across the UK tuned to BBC One, rising to an extraordinary 92% audience share in Scotland.
Fans have also engaged in record numbers across digital platforms, with highlights of Scotland v Haiti streamed more than 1.1 million times on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, alongside more than 250,000 views on BBC Football’s YouTube channel.
BBC coverage of the FIFA World Cup continues throughout the tournament, including Scotland’s match against Brazil this evening at 11pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with audiences also driving record numbers for the BBC Sport app, live streams, podcasts and social media content.
Rhuanedd Richards, Interim Director of BBC Nations, said: “Extending this agreement is fantastic news for football fans across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ensuring every match is available live and free-to-air on the BBC. These fixtures bring communities together and deliver some of the biggest shared moments in our sporting calendar. We’re proud to continue telling these stories and showcasing our nations’ teams.”
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said: “International football creates moments that unite communities, spark national pride and generate huge audiences across every platform. We’re delighted to extend our partnership with UEFA and continue bringing every Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland men’s international match to fans free-to-air. Whether watching on television, streaming on iPlayer or following through the BBC Sport website, app or our social channels, audiences can be sure the BBC will be there for every crucial moment on the road to UEFA EURO 2028.”
The agreement further strengthens the BBC’s commitment to bringing major sporting moments to audiences across the UK, ensuring fans can continue to follow every step of their nations’ journeys to UEFA EURO 2028 and beyond.
UEFA EURO 2028 will take place across nine stadiums in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and be show live across BBC platforms.
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