World Cup heartbreak: Over 1.3m tune into RTÉ while eir records highest ever traffic peaks
Eva Osborne
Over 1.3 million viewers watched Irish World Cup dreams get crushed on Thursday night on RTÉ, while eir recorded its highest-ever TV and mobile network traffic peaks.
The Republic of Ireland team missed out on the 2026 World Cup after losing 4-3 on penalties in a dramatic playoff against the Czech Republic.
RTÉ2’s coverage of the game was watched by an average of 1.37 million viewers, accounting for 78 per cent of those watching television at the time, making it the most-watched programme of the year so far on TV in Ireland.
Viewing peaked at 1.6 million at 10:34pm, just as the Czech Republic sealed victory with the winning penalty.
The game also attracted over 1 million streams on RTÉ Player, the highest number of streams for any single event on RTÉ Player ever.
Meanwhile, eir recorded its highest-ever TV and mobile network traffic peaks as Ireland fans around the country and beyond tuned in to Thursday night’s fixture.
On eir TV, viewing figures surged, with the event delivering the highest traffic peak ever recorded on the platform, with approximately 60 per cent of eir TV customers tuning in for the knockout clash.
The recordâsetting performance surpassed previous major moments on Irish screens, including The Late Late Toy Show and Six Nations fixtures.
eir’s mobile network also achieved an allâtime peak, 20 per cent higher than any other national event, with fans streaming, messaging and following the action on social media.
A spokesperson at eir, said: “eir’s purpose is to connect for a better Ireland, and we saw that come to life last night as people across the country came together to support the Boys in Green.
"The scale of the data surge across our TV, broadband and mobile networks was unprecedented, with record peaks reflecting just how central connectivity has become to shared national moments.
"Whether people were watching at home, following the match on the move, or supporting the team overseas, our networks stood up to the demand and kept Ireland connected when it mattered most.”
