How to watch the League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the one competition on this site where the legal option is so cheap there is no argument for anything else. Friday nights, floodlights, and a streaming pass that costs less than the chips on the way home.

The 2026 season finished with the last Premier Division round on 30 October and the FAI Cup final on 8 November. There is nothing to buy until the 2027 season starts, so this page is the plan for then.

Who has it

• Free-to-air Some of it Review
  • Free

  Virgin Media shows one Premier Division game a round free, 36 a season, to 2028; RTÉ has seven FAI Cup games including the final; TG4 has 17 women's games.

• LOITV All of it Review
  • €10.99/day pass Same games, 24 hours at a time.
  • €14.99/month Same games, month by month with no commitment.
  • €99/year Every Men's Premier Division, First Division and Women's Premier Division game, 550+ a season, except the ones on Virgin Media, RTÉ or TG4 that night.

Rights and prices checked 2026-09-19. Standard prices; intro offers can be lower.

Virgin Media is the exclusive free-to-air broadcaster from 2025 to 2028. It picks one Premier Division game a round, 36 a season, mostly Friday at 8pm on Virgin Media Two, with some on Virgin Media Three and all of them on Virgin Media Play. It also shows goals from every other game. RTÉ lost the league in 2025 but kept the FAI Cup, with seven live games in 2026. TG4 has the women’s game: 17 live matches in 2026 across the Women’s Premier Division, both Women’s FAI Cup semi-finals, the final and the All-Island Cup final.

Everything else is on LOITV, the league’s own streaming service run with Premier Sports. Every Men’s Premier Division, First Division and Women’s Premier Division game, over 550 in 2026, with the televised game blacked out in Ireland on the night.

The cheapest way to watch most of it

If you are happy with one game a week, you are done. Virgin Media through the aerial, and the goals show for the rest.

If you follow a club, the LOITV Annual Pass is the answer and the finder will tell you so. It is one payment for the whole season and every division, or the same thing paid monthly on a 12-month plan. The flexible monthly pass costs more over a season but suits a summer of away days. A 24-hour pass covers a one-off, and you have three months to use it.

The 2026 season ran from February to the end of October, so the flexible monthly route was nine payments; at the prices in the table, the annual pass is cheaper from the seventh monthly payment on. There is no reason to buy anything for November to January. Before paying for 2027, check which season a pass covers. LOITV passes (official source, opens in a new tab)

What’s free

Virgin Media’s game of the round, on Saorview and Virgin Media Play. RTÉ’s seven FAI Cup games on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, including the final. TG4’s 17 women’s games on TG4 and the TG4 Player. In 2026 that was a free game most weekends from February to November without a subscription.

The calendar

• Friday 6 February 2026: Premier Division started. 36 rounds, each team plays the others four times.
• Saturday 14 March 2026: Women’s Premier Division started; the season ran into late October.
• Sunday 27 September 2026: Women’s FAI Cup final, Tallaght, on TG4.
• Friday 30 October 2026: Premier Division ended.
• Sunday 8 November 2026: FAI Cup final, Aviva Stadium, on RTÉ.
• 2027: Premier Division start date not yet announced. FAI Cup rights for 2027 not yet confirmed.

One free game a week and a pass that costs less than a pint a week for the rest. Sort me out with the finder, read the LOITV review, and if your TV cannot run the apps, a streaming stick will. Everything else is on the watch index.