The Six Nations is back for 2026 and once again fans in the UK can watch every single game for free thanks to the BBC and ITV.

The tournament kicks off on Thursday 5 February, when ITV will broadcast Ireland’s trip to Paris to face France (kick-off 8.10pm GMT).

We have a dedicated, all-encompassing guide on how to watch Six Nations 2026, including broadcast details all over the world, but here we’ll hone in on the offering for UK viewers.

As with last year, the BBC and ITV are splitting the games, with ITV showing 10 games and the BBC showing five games.

However, the split is a little different this year, with ITV showing all five matches involving England, while the BBC’s five games always feature Scotland or Wales.

As a general rule of thumb, all England games are on ITV, all Ireland and France home games are on ITV, and all Scotland and Wales home games are on BBC. Italy home games are generally on ITV, though Italy v Scotland on Saturday will be on BBC – otherwise the BBC would have no matches this weekend.

Read more: Why are all of England’s Men’s Six Nations games on ITV and not the BBC?

Where to watch this weekend’s games in the UK

Thursday 5 February

• France v Ireland
  Venue: Stade de France, Paris
  Kick-off: 8.10pm GMT
  Broadcaster: ITV

Saturday 7 February

• Italy v Scotland
  Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
  Kick-off: 2.10pm GMT
  Broadcaster: BBC
• England v Wales
  Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
  Kick-off: 4.40pm GMT
  Broadcaster: ITV

How to watch Six Nations on the BBC – online and TV

The BBC will broadcast all its Six Nations games on free-to-air television on either BBC One or BBC Two, as well as making all games available to stream online using BBC iPlayer.

It’s also free to use BBC iPlayer – just a simple registration is required (but make sure you’ve paid your TV licence).

How to watch Six Nations on ITV– online and TV

ITV will spread its Six Nations games across ITV1, ITVX, STV, STV Player and UTV. All games will go out live on the main ITV1 channel in England and Wales, while STV and UTV are the equivalents for Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively.

ITVX is the streaming platform where you can watch all of ITV’s Six Nations games online. As with the BBC, registration is needed but you don’t need to pay anything.

How to watch Six Nations while abroad

What if you’re out of the UK when one of the Six Nations games is on? Both the BBC iPlayer and ITVX streaming services are geo-restricted, meaning they don’t usually work abroad. However, they do when you use a VPN, or Virtual Private Network.

A VPN is a handy piece of software that can set your device’s IP address to appear as if it’s back home, allowing you to watch the Six Nations online from anywhere.

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Six Nations on TV: Which games are on BBC?

(All times GMT)

• Italy v Scotland | February 7 at 2.10pm
• Wales v France | February 15 at 3.10pm
• Wales v Scotland | February 21 at 4.40pm
• Scotland v France | March 7 at 2.10pm
• Wales v Italy | March 14 at 4.40pm

Read more: BBC’s Six Nations pundits

Six Nations on TV: Which games are on ITV?

(All times GMT)

• France v Ireland | February 5 at 8.10pm
• England v Wales | February 7 at 4.40pm 
• Ireland v Italy| February 14 at 2.10pm
• Scotland v England | February 14 at 4.40pm 
• England v Ireland | February 21 at 2.10pm 
• France v Italy | February 22 at 3.10pm
• Ireland v Wales | March 6 at 8.10pm 
• Italy v England | March 7 at 4.40pm
• Ireland v Scotland | March 14 at 2.10pm 
• France v England | March 14 at 8.10pm 

Read more: ITV’s Six Nations Pundits

Follow our Six Nations homepage which we update regularly with news and features. 

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