Tommy Lonergan poses for a portrait during a Republic of Ireland Men's U21's portrait session at the Carlton Hotel in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile

Virgin Media TV to air Ireland U21s’ historic Euro Play-Off bid live

Republic will face Finland over two legs in November

John Donohoe

Published: Fri 23 Oct 2026, 3:34 PM

Last updated: Fri 23 Oct 2026, 3:49 PM

Virgin Media Television will broadcast the Republic of Ireland Men’s Under-21s’ UEFA European Under-21 Championship Play-Off against Finland live, as Jim Crawford’s side bids to make history and qualify for a first-ever Under-21 European Championship.

Ireland will face Finland over two legs next month, with the decisive second leg taking place at Turners Cross Stadium in Cork, where Ireland secured a memorable 3-1 victory over European champions England earlier this month.

The result saw Ireland claim second place in Group D and secure their place in the Play-Offs, putting them within two games of a historic first appearance at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Goalkeeper Noah Jauny poses for a portrait during a Republic of Ireland Men's U21's portrait session at the Carlton Hotel in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane / SPORTSFILE

Ireland will first travel to Tampere to face Finland at the Tammelan Stadion on Friday, November 13, with kick-off at 16:15 Irish time.

The action then returns to Cork on Tuesday, November 17, when Ireland welcome Finland to Turners Cross for the crucial second leg, kicking off at 17:45.

Conor McManus poses for a portrait during a Republic of Ireland Men's U21's portrait session at the Carlton Hotel in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane / SPORTSFILE

Both games will be available to watch live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin PLAY. Below are the fixtures:

Friday, November 13 – Finland v Ireland, Tammelan Stadion, Tampere, Finland KO 18.15 (local time) / 16.15 (Irish time), Live on Virgin Media Two

Tuesday, November 17 – Ireland v Finland, Munster FA Stadium, Cork, Ireland, KO 17.45, Live on Virgin Media Two

Tickets for the game will go on public sale on Friday 30th October. Fans can secure their seat via Ticketmaster.ie

Jacob Devaney poses for a portrait during a Republic of Ireland Men's U21's portrait session at the Carlton Hotel in Blanchardstown, Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane / SPORTSFILE

Meanhwile, in rugby, Ireland will host Nations Championship fixtures at the Aviva Stadium for the first time this November, as Argentina, Fiji and South Africa arrive in Dublin for the decisive home leg of the inaugural tournament.

The action gets underway on Friday 6th November, when Ireland welcome Argentina to Dublin, before Fiji visit the Aviva Stadium on Friday 13th November. Ireland's home campaign then concludes with a blockbuster clash against reigning world champions South Africa on Saturday 21st November, with all three fixtures broadcast live and free-to-air on Virgin Media Television.

Launched this year by Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR, the Nations Championship has transformed the traditional July and November international windows into one connected global competition, bringing together 12 of the world’s leading men’s international rugby nations.

Following a thrilling opening phase in July, where Northern and Southern Hemisphere rivals went head-to-head across three consecutive Super Saturdays, attention now turns to November as every match counts as teams battle to secure the highest possible finishing position ahead of Finals Weekend.

The competition will conclude later in November when all 12 nations take to the field in London. Final league standings at the end of the pool phase will determine the match-ups, culminating in a showdown to crown the first-ever Nations Championship winners.