A Dublin encounter to get this Six Nations weekend underway with a bang
Watch Ireland v Wales as two sides with differing fortunes in the 2026 Men’s Six Nations meet under the Friday night lights in Dublin.
After a disappointing opening night defeat to France and a narrow win over Italy, Ireland proved their championship credentials last time out with an emphatic 42-21 away victory over England. Les Bleus may prove to be uncatchable at the top of the table, but Andy Farrell’s men know that second place (and a Triple Crown) are still a very real possibility.
Wales, meanwhile, arrive in Dublin on a 14-match losing streak in the championship. There were glimmers of hope in Cardiff a fortnight ago, as Steve Tandy’s team came agonisingly close to beating Scotland. But the Welsh will also be painfully aware that they haven’t won a Six Nations match in Dublin since 2012.
The match kicks off at 8.10pm GMT, and you can watch Ireland v Wales live streams for free in the UK, Ireland and France – read on to find out how you can use a VPN to tune in wherever you are in the world.
Key information
– Ireland v Wales date: Friday 6 March 2026
– Ireland v Wales kick-off time: 8.10pm GMT (local) / 9.10pm CET / 3.10pm ET / 10.10pm SAST / 7.10am AEDT (Saturday)
– Ireland v Wales venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
– Ireland v Wales free streams: ITVX / BBC iPlayer / S4C Clic (free), RTÉ Player (free), France TV (free)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
How to watch Ireland v Wales in the UK – live stream the game for free
For UK viewers, this Friday night game is available for free on terrestrial channel ITV1 and streaming service ITVX. Pre-match build-up starts at at 7.20pm GMT, 50 minutes ahead of the 8.10pm kick-off.
ITVX is free to use, but you do need to complete a simple sign-up process to access the service. You also need an up-to-date TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK.
Welsh language channel S4C will also air the game with Welsh commentary via the S4C broadcast channel, BBC iPlayer and the S4C Clic streaming service.
Tomorrow, Scotland v France (kick-off: 2.10pm GMT) is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. while Italy v England (kick-off: 4.40pm GMT), is on ITV1 and ITVX.
Stream Ireland v Wales from anywhere
Being overseas this weekend doesn’t mean you have to miss any of the Six Nations action. By using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to change your IP address, you can avoid geo-blocking restrictions and stream Ireland v Wales as if you were back at home.
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How to watch Ireland v Wales for FREE in Ireland
RTÉ has the rights to this game in Ireland. Terrestrial viewers can tune in via RTÉ2 or you can watch England v Ireland live streams via the RTÉ Player streaming service.
Coverage starts at 7.00pm GMT, ahead of the 8.10pm GMT kick-off.
Every Six Nations match this season is available free-to-air in Ireland. Both of tomorrow’s matches, Scotland v France (kick-off: 2.10pm GMT) and Italy v England (kick-off 4.40pm GMT), are on Virgin Media Play and Virgin Media One.
Ireland v Wales live streams in France
Ireland are one of Les Bleus’ only rivals for the Six Nations title – and will be hoping for France to slip up against Scotland tomorrow. French fans can watch this game for free on both France 3 and the France TV streaming service.
Coverage of Ireland v Wales starts at 9.00pm CET, 10 minutes ahead of the 9.10pm kick-off.
French fans who are away from home but want to tune in with their usual French language commentary can still access their France TV coverage from abroad by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.
Other Ireland v Wales global streams
United States: A $10.99 per month subscription is what you need to get access to every Men’s Six Nations match this season via NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service. Kick-off is 3.10pm ET /12.10pm PT this afternoon.
Australia: Fans down under need to stay up late and head to Stan Sport for Ireland v Wales live streams. You’ll need a base Stan subscription (monthly fees start at $12 per month) plus $20 per month to watch Stan Sport. Kick-off is 7.10am AEDT on Saturday morning, so you can watch this one over breakfast.
New Zealand: In New Zealand, Ireland v Wales is on Sky Sport, which costs $54.99 per month for a streaming subscription. Kick-off is 9.10am NZDT on Saturday morning.
South Africa: If you’re in South Africa you need to head to SuperSport to watch Ireland v Wales. The match gets underway at 10.10pm SAST on Friday night.
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