Ireland’s friendly against Granada CF kicks off at 5pm on Saturday, May 16 at the Enrique Roca Stadium in Murcia. In the Republic of Ireland, it will be shown live only on RTÉ Player, with the digital broadcast starting at 4.55pm. Fans in the UK will not get a traditional linear TV broadcast and can follow only official digital highlights.

How to watch in Ireland and the UK

The key detail is simple enough: if you are in Ireland, RTÉ Player is the live option. If you are in the UK, there is no live television coverage. That makes this more of a streaming job than a channel-hopping one, which is usually the first thing people want to know before a friendly like this.

BBC Radio 5 Live updates are listed for the UK, so there is still a way to track the match without the pictures. But the broadcast picture is clear, and the live window is narrow.

Why Hallgrímsson is using this camp differently

Heimir Hallgrímsson has named several fresh faces in a youthful squad, including Newcastle United teenager Rory Finneran. The same selection picture includes players who are pushing for more than a squad place, with Josh Keeley among those in line for a first senior international appearance and Millenic Alli also in the frame.

That is the point of the friendly for Ireland. It gives Hallgrímsson room to look at new talent without the pressure of a competitive qualifier, and it also means established names are not the only focus in Murcia.

Caoimhin Kelleher is part of the discussion too, with his recent club form offering Hallgrímsson a more familiar reference point in a camp built around evaluation. The same goes for the wider squad balance, which is more about minutes and observation than short-term certainty.

Hallgrímsson said: "It serves as vital preparation for future tournaments and provides manager Heimir Hallgrímsson with a chance to integrate new talent without the pressure of a competitive qualifier."

That is the clearest way to read this game. The broadcast details matter, but so does the squad list, because Ireland are treating Grenada as a chance to test fresh options rather than simply get through another date on the calendar.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →