By Jonathan Easton

Ahead of its launch in the UK in H2 2022, Nordic Entertainment (NENT) Group’s Viaplay has picked up the exclusive rights to Scotland’s, Wales’ and Northern Ireland’s European Qualifiers.

This is a major statement of intent from the streamer, with the rights historically held by Sky Sports.

The four-year deal will see Viaplay broadcast 40 exclusive live matches featuring the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish men’s national football teams respectively as part of a comprehensive package of over 800 exclusive international matches from across Europe.

The agreement will see Viaplay provide live coverage of all UK national teams (with the obvious exception of England) in the European Qualifiers to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and UEFA EURO 2028 and in the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 and 2026/27; all matches in the UEFA Nations League Finals 2025 and 2027; as well as international friendlies.

The rights package also includes all matches in the above-mentioned competitions of all other European teams – with the exception of England matches – and includes teams such as world champions France and European champions Italy.

This latest deal between Viaplay and UEFA also spans Sweden, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

NENT Group President and CEO, Anders Jensen said: “This is Viaplay’s biggest UK sports milestone so far. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have exciting young teams that millions of fans will be able to follow exclusively on our world-class platform. These matches are in good hands – we work closely with UEFA in the Nordic and Baltic regions, and know how much national sides mean to supporters. Viaplay’s multi-territory partnerships with rights holders will be a key advantage as we challenge further in the UK sports market. The timing is also advantageous, with these rights coming on stream in 2024, which allows us time to build our UK brand and to innovate the Viaplay viewing experience even further.”

Marketing Director at UEFA, Guy-Laurent Epstein commented: “We are delighted to enter this new partnership with Viaplay with its expansion into the UK. Viaplay will provide a comprehensive and innovative home for the Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales National Team matches, as well as for all other third-party European national team matches played during the European Qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 2026 and UEFA EURO 2028, as well as the UEFA Nations League 2024 and 2026, including the UEFA Nations League Finals in 2025 and 2027.

“With Viaplay’s long-lasting football track record, we are confident that football fans across the UK will be part of the journey of each of the Home Nations and will be offered excellent coverage of the UEFA National Team Football competitions between 2024 and 2028, whichever screen they choose to use.”