RTÉ’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup has delivered strong audience numbers across television, streaming, radio and social platforms, underlining the continuing pull of free-to-air live sport for Irish audiences.
As the official Irish broadcaster of the tournament, RTÉ is carrying live coverage across RTÉ2, RTÉ Player, RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ Sport Online and social channels, giving Irish football fans broad access to the action from North America.
From 11 to 28 June, World Cup matches on RTÉ Player accumulated 9.2 million streams, already surpassing the total streaming figure recorded during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Across RTÉ2 and RTÉ2+1, matches during the same period delivered a total one-minute reach of 2.9 million unique individuals.
The biggest match of the tournament so far for RTÉ was England v Croatia on 17 June, which attracted an average television audience of 615,000 viewers on RTÉ2 and a 51 per cent audience share. The fixture also generated 404,000 streams on RTÉ Player, making it the most-streamed match of the tournament to date.
Other strong performers included England v Ghana, which reached an estimated 500,000 viewers on RTÉ2, secured a 43 per cent share and added a further 334,000 streams on RTÉ Player.
Mexico v South Africa also drew a sizeable audience, with 484,000 viewers, a 41 per cent RTÉ2 share and 364,000 additional streams on RTÉ Player.
Matches involving France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and England have all performed strongly during the group stages, reflecting both the tournament’s broad appeal and the value of appointment-to-view live sport in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
There has also been significant engagement beyond the live match window. RTÉ Sport Online and RTÉ Sport social channels have recorded 23 million video views across all platforms to date, including more than four million views of highlights and analysis on the RTÉ Sport YouTube channel.
RTÉ Radio 1 has continued its coverage through Inside Sport, with Marie Crowe and Jacqui Hurley bringing listeners the latest from North America, while Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport are also carrying analysis and news from the tournament.
The wider editorial offer has included the Up All Night vodcast, hosted by The Young Offenders stars Dominic MacHale and Shane Casey, bringing a different tone to the overnight action. The show goes live each morning on RTÉ Radio Player and RTÉ Player, with guests joining from the Cork studio, and also airs daily on RTÉ2 ahead of live World Cup coverage.
Raf Diallo is also continuing to bring updates, analysis and insight through the RTÉ Soccer Podcast, drawing on pundits and commentators both in Ireland and on the ground in North America.
The figures represent a strong return for RTÉ on a tournament that continues to show the importance of major international sport within the public service broadcasting mix.
The 9.2 million streams figure is particularly significant, showing how quickly audience behaviour has shifted since the last World Cup, while the television numbers demonstrate that the biggest games can still command very substantial live audiences.
With the knockout stages now underway, the tournament is likely to deliver further audience peaks as the stakes rise and Irish football fans continue to follow the drama.
Heineken 0.0 is the broadcast sponsor of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on RTÉ.
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Image Credit: RTÉ Sport
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