Sky Sports have announced that Northern Ireland’s Euro 2020 play-off against Slovakia on Thursday night will be shown to all viewers after being made free-to-air.
he game will be made available to all Sky customers on Thursday night, with the game being shown on Sky Challenge, while Scotland’s play-off with Serbia will also be made free-to-air on Sky Pick.
Northern Ireland are aiming to reach their second consecutive European Championships after qualifying for the 2016 finals in France and will have 1,060 fans inside Windsor Park cheering them on.
With limited fans only allowed inside the national stadium, Sky Sports has made the decision to make the games free-to-air so that as many Northern Ireland fans can access the game as possible.
Sky Sports have broadcast all of Northern Ireland’s Euro 2020 qualifying games up to this point, including last month’s dramatic play-off semi-final win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties.
“We know how significant these fixtures could be for fans of Scotland and Northern Ireland,” said Sky Sports’ managing director Rob Webster.
“With two sides on the brink of qualifying for a major tournament, we felt it was the right moment in these exceptional and unique circumstances to make the games more widely available.
“Sky Sports is a proud partner to many sports, both in the UK and around the world, and we have strived to stand alongside sport in unprecedented circumstances this year.”
Coverage of the game will start at 7pm ahead of a 7.45pm kick-off at Windsor Park.
Belfast Telegraph