Italy earned a draw in Lille two years ago. Can they go one better against the reigning champions?
Watch France v Italy as the Azzurri travel to Lille to take on a brilliant French side in the 2026 Men’s Six Nations.
– Date: Sunday 22 February, 2026
– Kick-off time: 3.10pm GMT / 4.10pm CET (local) / 10.10am ET / 5.10pm SAST / 2.10am AEDT (Monday)
– FREE STREAMS: ITVX (UK), RTÉ Player (Ireland), France TV (France)
– Watch from anywhere: NordVPN 100% risk-free (£50 Amazon Gift Card included)
You can watch France v Italy live streams for free in the UK, Ireland and France. Read on to find out how to tune in the game, wherever you are on planet Earth. You’ll find a match preview at the bottom of the page.
Stream France v Italy from anywhere
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Are there any free France v Italy live streams?
Yes, there are several free streams for the final Six Nations clash of the weekend, including:
- United Kingdom: You can watch France v Italy on both terrestrial channel ITV1 and the ITVX streaming service. Both options are free to use but remember that you need a current TV Licence to watch/stream live television in the UK. ITV coverage starts at 2.20pm GMT ahead of the 3.10pm kick-off this afternoon.
- Ireland: Rugby fans in Ireland can watch this Lille encounter for free via RTÉ Player. You can stream through the app or the in-browser player, and no sign-up is required. You can also tune into the match for free on terrestrial channel RTÉ2. Pre-match build-up starts at 2.30pm GMT, with the game getting underway at 3.10pm.
- France: France v Italy live streams are available for free on both France 2 and the France TV streaming service in France. Coverage starts at 3.35pm CET, with kick-off at 4.10pm.
- Italy: All Italy matches in this season’s Men’s Six Nations are available for free via TV8 in Italy.
Travelling overseas today? Residents of the UK, Ireland and France can still watch their usual free streaming service with the help of a good VPN. Keep reading to find out more…
More international streaming options for France v Italy
- United States: A subscription to NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service will get you access to all of this season’s Men’s Six Nations matches (including this France v Italy live stream), and will cost you $10.99 per month. Kick-off is 10.10am ET / 7.10am PT this morning.
- South Africa: SuperSport will be your destination for France v Italy live streams in South Africa, and is available via DStv and streaming. The match gets underway at 5.10pm SAST this afternoon.
- Australia: Stan Sport is the place to go for France v Italy live streams down under. You’ll need a $20 per month Stan Sport plan (in addition to your base Stan subscription) to tune in, and it’s probably wise to start burning that midnight oil, too, as kick-off is at 2.10am AEDT on Monday morning.
- New Zealand: In New Zealand, France v Italy is on Sky Sport, which costs $54.99 per month for a streaming subscription. Kick-off is 4.10am NZDT on Monday morning, so be prepared for an early start.
Check out our full guide to how to watch Six Nations 2026 for broadcasters around the world.
France v Italy preview
France have been the outstanding side in this year’s tournament, achieving emphatic wins over both Ireland and Wales in their opening matches. Fabien Galthié’s champions have picked up where they left off last year, which included a 73-24 victory over Sunday’s opponents in Rome – the fifth biggest winning margin in Six Nations history. And following Ireland’s comfortable victory over England yesterday, the championship now appears to be theirs to lose.
But there’s still hope for the Italians. Gonzalo Quesada’s side beat Scotland on the opening weekend and came agonisingly close to picking up a first ever victory in Dublin. The Azzurri will also recall their previous trip to Lille in 2024 (Les Bleus roadshow is heading to Lille, a rare trip away from the Stade de France), when Paolo Garbisi’s last-minute penalty miss was all that stood between them and a first-ever win on French soil. In other words, this game is unlikely to be entirely one-way traffic.
While Galthié has made just two changes to his starting XV, France continue to show the impressive depth of their squad. Those changes come in the second row, where Thibaud Flament and Emmanuel Meafou start in place of Charles Ollivon and Mickaël Guillard, who drop to the bench – though, seeing as both are pretty much guaranteed to come on in the second half, Italy know they’re in for a busy day up front.
There are also three additions to the replacements bench, as Peato Mauvaka, Georges-Henri Colombe and Pierre-Louis Barassi come in to the 23.
Italy, meanwhile, have made just one change to the starting line-up that narrowly lost to Ireland, though it’s the sort of change any head coach would want to make. After missing the first two games with injury, Ange Capuozzo returns at full-back, and his Toulouse teammates will know all about the damage he can do with ball in hand. The only other changes to the 23 come on the bench, where Pablo Dimcheff and Giosuè Zilocchi are drafted in to provide cover at hooker and tighthead, respectively.
Yesterday served up two compelling Six Nations fixtures. Hopefully this Lille encounter can follow suit.
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