Czechia v Republic of Ireland live on RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and RTÉ Radio 1

RTÉ will bring the nation the heart of the action as the Republic of Ireland travel to Prague to take on Czechia on Thursday 26 March in a FIFA World Cup 2026 play-off semi-final. RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and RTÉ Radio 1 will have live coverage from the Fortuna Stadium in Prague as Ireland aim to reach a home play-off final in the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday 31 March against either Denmark or North Macedonia.

Darragh Maloney will be joined in Prague by Didi Hamann and Shay Given for live coverage from 7.00pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player with commentary from Des Curran and Ronnie Whelan. RTÉ Soccer Correspondent Tony O’Donoghue will also be on the ground in the Czechia capital with reports from the Irish camp and all the crucial interviews both pre and post-match.

Inside Sport on RTÉ Radio 1 will be on air with Jacqui Hurley from 6 to 10pm on the day with live commentary from John Kenny and Kenny Cunningham plus analysis and reaction from the Fortuna Stadium on a specially extended programme. Inside Sport will also have Marie Crowe broadcasting live from the centre of Prague on the eve of the big match with all the expert analysis and colour.

Morning Ireland on RTÉ Radio 1 will also be live from Prague with Des Cahill on the mornings before and after the match with previews, analysis, reaction and all the colour.

Liveline too will be in the heart of all the action, alongside fans and friends, from The Irish Times Bar in the Old Town of Prague on RTÉ Radio 1 on the day of the game. There will be craic agus ceoil as we celebrate a potential step towards the World Cup.

Hat trick hero Troy’s family will join Kieran for a Parrotts in Prague takeover!

Second Captains will be popping by to give us their unique take on proceedings, while Marie Crowe and David Sneyd will preview all the build up to the big game.

Music will be in full flow with the band Bookie Baker, and there will be plenty of surprises for excited fans who made their way to the Czechia capital via planes, trains and automobiles.

As excitement builds across the country, 2FM DRIVE with Demi & Mikey will be live in in the centre of all the action in Prague from The Irish Times Bar on Wednesday 25 March and, of course, on match day itself on Thursday 26 March.

Join them for live music, surprise guests, team updates and lots of chats with the fans on tour!

RTÉ Player will have the European Qualifiers Preview Show featuring an interview with Troy Parrott and a feature with current and former Czechia internationals Tomáš Souček & Vladimír Šmicer, along with some national team-related documentaries including Saipan – Rebel Without a Ball, Tony Cascarino: Extra Time, Kevin Moran: Codebreaker and RTÉ Investigates: Girls in Green, as well as some family-focused football titles like United FC and Football Families.

There will be a rail featuring those titles and more on the RTÉ Player homepage leading up to the game and, of course, RTÉ Player will have the match live and on-demand, with Irish language commentary available for the RTÉ2 stream as well as a dedicated As Gaeilge broadcast on the RTÉ News channel.

Fans can also follow all the action on the RTÉ Sport website and RTÉ News app with our live blogs, match reports and reaction.

In association with Cadbury – a proud sponsor of The Republic of Ireland Football teams

-ENDS-

Date: Monday 23 March 2026 

For more information:
Fergus McCormack, Communications Lead