Watch Ireland v Argentina as the northern hemisphere leg of the Nations Championship 2026 kicks off under the Friday night lights in the Irish capital.

After an impressive Six Nations campaign and victories over Australia and Japan in the summer, Andy Farrell’s men will fancy their chances of a successful home campaign in the Nations Championship. But – even though they haven’t beaten Ireland in over a decade – the Pumas are capable of beating anyone on their day, and take an impressive line-up to Dublin. Expect fireworks at the Aviva Stadium.

The match kicks off at 8.10pm GMT on Friday night, and you can watch free Ireland v Argentina live streams in Ireland, the UK, France and the US. We’ll tell you everything you need to know to tune in below – including details of how you can use a VPN to watch the match from anywhere.

Scroll down to the end of the article for a match preview and team news.

Key information

– Ireland v Argentina date: Friday 6 November 2026

– Ireland v Argentina kick-off time: 8.10pm GMT / 9.10pm CET / 10.10pm SAST / 7.10am AEDT (Saturday) / 9.10am NZDT (Saturday) / 3.10pm ET / 12.10pm PT

– Ireland v Argentina venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland

– Ireland v Argentina free streams: Virgin Media Play (Ireland), ITVX (UK), TF1+ (France), RugbyPass TV (US)

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How to watch Ireland v Argentina in the UK and Ireland – live stream the game for free

In the UK, Ireland v Argentina is available for free on both streaming service ITVX and terrestrial channel ITV1. Coverage starts at 7.15pm GMT tonight, kick-off is at 8.10pm.

ITVX is free to use, but you do need to complete a simple sign-up process to access the service. You also need an up-to-date TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK.

, you can watch Ireland v Argentina live streams on Virgin Media Play. The game is also available on broadcast channel Virgin Media One, with coverage starting at 7.30pm tonight. Both options are free, though you do need to register to use the Virgin Media Play streaming service.

Watch Ireland v Argentina from anywhere

Overseas right now? That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the first game of the Nations Championship’s Northern Series. By using a (Virtual Private Network) to change your IP address, you can avoid geo-blocking restrictions and stream Ireland v Pumas as if you were sitting at home on your sofa.

The tech experts at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide both rate NordVPN as world number one, thanks to its top-notch ability to unblock streaming services and security features.

Ireland v Argentina free streams in France

En France? You can watch Ireland v Argentina for on the TF1+ streaming service, and the TFX TV channel.

Ireland v Argentina coverage starts at 9.00pm CET, with the action getting underway at 9.10pm.

French fans who are away from home but want to tune in with their usual French language commentary can still access their TFX coverage from overseas by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.

Other ways to watch Ireland v Argentina around the world

In the US you can watch Ireland v Argentina, along with every other Nations Championship game, on World Rugby’s . It’s free to use, though you do need to register before you can start streaming the action. Kick-off is at 3.10pm ET / 12.10pm PT this afternoon.

All Blacks fans back home need to tune into Sky Sport, which costs $59.99 per month for a streaming subscription. Kick-off is at 9.10am NZDT on Saturday morning.

Rugby fans on the other side of the Tasman Sea need to head to for Ireland v Argentina live streams. A Stan Sport subscription costs $20 per month on top of a standard Stan plan (for which prices start at $9.99). Kick-off is 7.10am AEDT on Saturday morning.

If you’re in South Africa you need to head to to watch Ireland v Argentina live streams. The match kicks off at 10.10pm SAST tonight.

Ireland v Argentina match preview

The opening match of the Nations Championship’s Northern Series sees the third-based team on the planet taking on the eighth, but the world rankings don’t necessarily tell the whole story. Yes, Ireland had an extremely successful Six Nations, and will have been reasonably pleased by their return of two Nations Championship wins in July – even though they were well off the pace against the All Blacks. But the Pumas are a much better side than their position – and single win of 2026 (against Wales) – might suggest.

After all, most of this Argentina side have recent memories of beating Scotland, England, Australia and New Zealand, and have repeatedly shown they’re capable of defeating anyone on their day. The odds may be against them in Ireland’s Dublin stronghold – especially as they haven’t beaten the men in green in over a decade – but Andy Farrell won’t be resting on any laurels.

That said, any head coach who can name British & Irish Lions Rónan Kelleher, James Ryan, Josh van der Flier, Jamison Gibson-Park and and Bundee Aki is in an enviable position, and this Irish 23 is close to full strength – Caelan Doris, Jack Conan and Jack Crowley are the most notable absentees.

Argentina are also close to full strength (Bath’s Santi Carreras is ruled out) in what promises to be a full-throttle opening to the November leg of the championship.

Ireland v Argentina teams and officials

15. Hugo Keenan
14. Robert Baloucoune
13. Robbie Henshaw
12. Stuart McCloskey
11. Mack Hansen
10. Sam Prendergast
9. Craig Casey

1. Andrew Porter
2. Dan Sheehan (captain)
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Joe McCarthy
5. Tadhg Beirne
6. Ryan Baird
7. Nick Timoney
8. Sean Jansen

16. Rónan Kelleher
17. Tom O’Toole
18. Sam Illo
19. James Ryan
20. Josh van der Flier
21. Jamison Gibson-Park
22. Ciaran Frawley
23. Bundee Aki

15. Juan Cruz Mallía
14. Bautista Delguy
13. Justo Piccardo
12. Santiago Chocobares
11. Mateo Carreras
10. Tomás Albornoz
9. Gonzalo Garcia

1. Boris Wenger
2. Julián Montoya (captain)
3. Francisco Moreno
4. Guido Petti
5. Pedro Rubiolo
6. Juan Martín González
7. Marcos Kremer
8. Pablo Matera

16. Leonel Oviedo
17. Mayco Vivas
18. Joel Sclavi
19. Efrain Elias
20. Juan Martin Scelzo
21. Simón Benítez Cruz
22. Gerónimo Prisciantelli
23. Lucio Cinti

England’s Luke Pearce is the referee for Ireland v Argentina, assisted by Hollie Davidson (Scotland) and Morné Ferreira (South Africa). Andrew Jackson (England) is the TMO.

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