TG4 has secured a new five-year broadcast rights extension for the Tour de France, ensuring that one of the great annual spectacles in world sport will remain available free-to-air to Irish audiences until 2030.
The new agreement will see the station continue its comprehensive Irish-language coverage of the race, with live coverage of every stage available across TG4, TG4 Player and the TG4 App.
It is a strong statement of continued commitment from TG4 to international sport, and to cycling in particular, at a time when Irish riders have been making fresh headlines on the biggest stage of all.
The Tour de France has always held a special place in the hearts of Irish sports fans, from the days of Shay Elliott, Seán Kelly and Stephen Roche through to the more recent achievements of Sam Bennett and Ben Healy.
Bennett’s triumph in 2020, when he won two stages and claimed the famous green jersey as winner of the Points Classification, was one of the great Irish sporting stories of recent years. It made him the first Irish rider in 31 years to win that classification.
In 2025, Ben Healy added another powerful chapter to the Irish story at the Tour, claiming the first stage win of his career on Stage 6 before later becoming only the fourth Irish rider to wear the famous yellow jersey, following Elliott, Kelly and Roche.
The 113th edition of the Tour de France will begin on Saturday, July 4th, 2026, with a spectacular 19.7km team time trial in Barcelona. The opening stage will begin along the city’s seafront before a demanding final stretch towards the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium.
The race will conclude on Sunday, July 26th, with the iconic final stage from Thoiry to the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Across 21 stages, riders will cover 3,333 kilometres and tackle every kind of terrain. The route will include seven flat stages, four hilly stages, eight mountain stages, one team time trial and one individual time trial, with two rest days along the way.
The 2026 route will bring major mountain challenges in the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Vosges, Jura and Alps, with summit finishes including Gavarnie-Gèdre, Plateau de Solaison, Orcières-Merlette and Alpe d’Huez.
TG4’s live coverage will once again feature commentary from Páidí Ó Lionáird and Pádraic Ó Cuinn, who have become familiar voices for Irish cycling fans following the daily drama of the peloton through the French countryside, towns, coastlines and mountains.
The coverage will also include a daily highlights programme, bringing the best of each day’s action to viewers every evening at 9pm.
“TG4 is proud to continue our long-standing association with the Tour de France and to ensure that this iconic event remains available free-to-air for Irish audiences,” said Rónán Ó Coisdealbha, Head of Sport at TG4.
“The Tour is one of the great annual events in world sport, and Irish viewers have enjoyed some unforgettable moments in recent years, from Sam Bennett’s green jersey triumph to Ben Healy’s extraordinary stage win and yellow jersey achievement.”
“We are delighted to bring every stage of the Tour de France to viewers on TG4 for the next five years.”
For TG4, the deal reinforces its position as a key free-to-air home for major international sport, and as a broadcaster willing to invest in events that resonate deeply with Irish audiences.
For Irish cycling fans, it means another five years of live access to the colour, drama, suffering and glory of the Tour, with the added hope that the current generation of Irish riders can continue to write new stories on the roads of France.
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Image Credit: TG4
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