Three sporting events to watch this week: Your handy guide to sport on television – The Irish Times

[Flor Lynch]

Guide to sport on television (Monday – Sunday, April 27th – May 3rd) 

Damian Cullen

Sun Apr 26 2026 - 17:01•6 MIN READ 

Racing

A celebrating of jump racing, the Punchestown Festival takes place from Tuesday to Saturday at the Co Kildare racecourse. There are 12 Grade one races scheduled over the five days, including the Champion Chase on Tuesday, Gold Cup on Wednesday, Champion Stayers Hurdle on Thursday and Champion Hurdle on Friday. - Tuesday-Saturday, RTÉ

GAA

Last season, Meath knocked Dublin out of the Leinster senior football championship, before falling to Louth in the decider. At the weekend, the reigning champions will face Dublin at the semi-final stage in O’Moore Park, Portlaoise. It is a big, big game for both sides. - Saturday, GAA+

Rugby

Last year, Northampton shocked Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final in Dublin. On Saturday, Leinster face Toulon at the same stage of the competition at the Aviva Stadium. The French side are struggling in the Top 14, but recorded a stunning win in the quarter-final in Glasgow. - Saturday, Premier Sports

MONDAY (April 27th)

• CYCLING - TNT Sports 2, 12.30pm-2.30pm - Stage 2 Tour of Turkey
• SNOOKER - BBC 2, 1pm-5pm, 7pm-10pm; TNT Sports, 1pm-4pm, 6.30pm-10pm World Championship
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Premier League - 8pm Manchester Utd v Brentford
• GAA - TG4, 8pm-9pm Weekend highlights

TUESDAY (April 28th)

• SNOOKER - BBC 2, 10am-12.45pm, 2.15pm-6pm, 7pm-10pm; TNT Sports, 10am-1pm, 2.30pm-5.30pm, 6.30pm-10pm World Championship
• CYCLING - TNT Sports 2, 12.30pm-2.30pm - Stage 3 Tour of Turkey
• RACING - RTÉ 2, 3.30pm-6.30pm Punchestown
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Football – Championship - 7.45pm Southampton v Ipswich Town
• SOCCER - Premier Sports 1 & Amazon Prime - Champions League Semi-final - 8pm PSG v Bayern Munich

WEDNESDAY (April 29th)

• SNOOKER - BBC 2, 10am-11.15am, 1pm-6pm, 7pm-10pm; TNT Sports, 10am-1pm, 2.15pm-5.30pm, 6.30pm-10pm World Championship
• CYCLING - TNT Sports 2, 12.30pm-2.30pm - Stage 4 Tour of Turkey
• RACING - RTÉ 2, 3.30pm-6.30pm Punchestown
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Premier League - Women’s Super League - 7pm Arsenal v Leicester City
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Football - Women’s Scottish Premier League - 7pm Glasgow City v Celtic
• SOCCER - RTÉ 2, Premier Sports 1 & TNT Sports 1 - Champions League Semi-final - 8pm Atletico Madrid v Arsenal

THURSDAY (April 30th)

• GOLF - Sky Sports Golf, 11am-4pm Turkish Airlines Open
• CYCLING - TNT Sports 2, 12.30pm-2.30pm - Stage 5 Tour of Turkey
• SNOOKER - BBC 2, 1pm-4pm, 7pm-10pm; TNT Sports, 12.45pm-4pm, 6.30pm-10pm World Championship
• GOLF - Sky Sports Plus, 3pm-6pm - LPGA Riviera Maya Open
• RACING - RTÉ 2, 3.30pm-6.30pm Punchestown
• GOLF - Sky Sports Golf, 4pm-midnight Cadillac Championship
• DARTS - Sky Sports Action, 7pm-11pm - Aberdeen Premier League
• SOCCER - Premier Sports 1 & TNT Sports 1 - Europa League Semi-final - 8pm Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa
• SOCCER - TNT Sports 2 - Conference League Semi-final - 8pm Shakhtar Donetsk v Crystal Palace
• RUGBY LEAGUE - Sky Sports Plus - Super League - 8pm Hull KR v Castleford

FRIDAY (May 1st)

• RUGBY - Sky Sports Plus - Super Rugby - 8.05am Hurricanes v Crusaders
• SNOOKER BBC 2, 10am-12.50pm, 2.15pm-6pm, 7pm-10pm; TNT Sports, 10am-1pm, 2.15pm-5.30pm, 6.30pm-10pm World Championship
• RUGBY Sky Sports Mix - Super Rugby - 10.35am Waratahs v Western Force
• GOLF - Sky Sports Golf, 11am-4pm Turkish Airlines Open
• CYCLING - TNT Sports 4, 12.30pm-2.30pm - Stage 6 Tour of Turkey
• RACING - UTV & Virgin Media One, 2pm-4.30pm Newmarket
• GOLF - Sky Sports Plus, 3pm-6pm - LPGA Riviera Maya Open
• RACING - RTÉ 2, 4pm-7.05pm Punchestown
• GOLF - Sky Sports Golf, 4pm-midnight Cadillac Championship
• F1 - Sky Sports F1 from 5pm - Practice & Qualifying Miami Grand Prix
• SOCCER - Premier Sports 1 - Scottish Premiership - 7.45pm Livingston v Aberdeen
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Premier League - 8pm Leeds Utd v Burnley
• SOCCER - Virgin Media Two - League of Ireland - 8pm Bohemians v Derry City
• RUGBY LEAGUE - Sky Sports Action - Super League - 8pm Leeds v Wakefield
• RUGBY LEAGUE - Sky Sports Plus - Super League - 8pm St Helens v York

SATURDAY (May 2nd)

• RUGBY - Sky Sports Plus - Super Rugby - 5.35am Fijian Drua v Highlanders, 8.05am Moana Pasifika v Blues, 10.35am Reds v Brumbies
• CYCLING - TNT Sports 2, 9.30am-11.30am - Stage 7 Tour of Turkey
• SNOOKER - BBC 2, 10am-1pm, 7pm-10pm; BBC 1, 2.15pm-4.30pm; TNT Sports 3, 10am-1pm, 2.15pm-5.30pm, 6.30pm-10pm World Championship
• GOLF - Sky Sports Golf, 11.30am-4pm Turkish Airlines Open
• UFC - TNT Sports 1 from noon - Perth Jack Della Maddalena v Carlos Prates
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Premier League - Women’s Super League - Noon Manchester Utd v Brighton
• GAA - TG4 YouTube - Under-20B Hurling - 1pm Derry v Roscommon
• RACING - UTV & Virgin Media One, 1.15pm-4pm Newmarket
• SOCCER - RTÉ 2 - Women’s Champions League Semi-final - 2pm OL Lyonnes v Arsenal
• SOCCER - BBC 2 - Irish Cup Final - 2.30pm Dungannon Swifts v Coleraine
• RACING - RTÉ 1, 3pm-5.45pm Punchestown
• GAA - TG4 YouTube - Under-20C Hurling - 3pm Armagh v Fermanagh
• RUGBY LEAGUE - Sky Sports Plus - Super League - 3pm Wigan v Bradford, 6pm Catalans v Leigh, 8pm Huddersfield v Warrington
• RUGBY - Premier Sports 1 - Champions Cup Semi-final - 3pm Leinster v Toulon
• TENNIS - Sky Sports Tennis, 3.30pm-6pm - WTA Madrid Open Final
• F1 - Sky Sports F1 from 4pm - Sprint & Qualifying Miami Grand Prix
• GOLF - Sky Sports Golf, 4pm-11pm Cadillac Championship
• GAA - GAA Plus - Ulster SFC - 5pm Derry v Monaghan
• RUGBY - Premier Sports 1 - Challenge Cup Semi-final - 5.30pm Ulster v Exeter
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Premier League - 5.30pm Arsenal v Fulham
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Mix – Bundesliga - 5.30pm Bayer Leverkusen v RB Leipzig
• GAA - GAA Plus - Leinster SFC - 7pm Dublin v Louth
• SOCCER - Disney Plus - La Liga - 8pm Osasuna v Barcelona
• GOLF - Sky Sports Plus, 9.30pm-0.30am - LPGA Riviera Maya Open
• GAA - RTÉ 2, 9.35pm-10.35pm The Saturday Game
• SOCCER - BBC 1, 10.25pm-11.45pm Match of the Day

SUNDAY (May 3rd)

• CYCLING - TNT Sports 1, 9.30am-11.30am - Final stage Tour of Turkey
• GOLF - Sky Sports Golf, 11am-4pm Turkish Airlines Open
• CYCLING - TNT Sports 1, 11.45am-1.45pm - Stage 1 La Vuelta Femenina
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Football - Scottish Premiership - Noon Hibernian v Celtic
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Premier League - Women’s Super League - Noon Manchester City v Liverpool
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Plus - Women’s Super League - Noon Tottenham v London City
• RUGBY - Premier Sports 1 - Challenge Cup Semi-final - 12.30pm Montpellier v Dragons
• SNOOKER - BBC 1, 1pm-4pm, 7pm-10pm; TNT Sports 3, 12.45pm-4pm, 6.30pm-10pm World Championship
• RACING - UTV & Virgin Media One, 1.15pm-4pm Newmarket
• GAA - RTÉ 2 - Munster SHC - 2pm Clare v Limerick
• GAA - GAA Plus - Leinster SFC - 2pm Kildare v Westmeath
• RUGBY - Premier Sports 1 - Champions Cup Semi-final - 3pm Bordeaux Bègles v Bath
• RUGBY LEAGUE - Sky Sports Plus - Super League - 3pm Hull FC v Toulouse
• TENNIS - Sky Sports Tennis, 3.30pm-6pm - ATP Madrid Open Final
• SOCCER - Sky Sports Premier League - 3.30pm Manchester Utd v Liverpool
• SOCCER - Disney Plus - Women’s Champions League Semi-final - 3.30pm Barcelona v Bayern Munich
• GAA - RTÉ 2 & BBC 2 - Ulster SFC - 4pm Armagh v Down
• GOLF - Sky Sports Golf, 4pm-11pm Cadillac Championship
• GOLF - Sky Sports Plus, 5pm-8pm - LPGA Riviera Maya Open
• SOCCER - TNT Sports 1 - Premier League - 7pm Aston Villa v Tottenham
• F1 - Sky Sports F1 from 7pm Miami Grand Prix
• SOCCER - TNT Sports 2 - Serie A - 7.45pm Inter Milan v Parma
• SOCCER - Premier Sports 1 - La Liga - 8pm Espanyol v Real Madrid
• GAA - RTÉ 2, 9.30pm-10.50pm The Sunday Game
• SOCCER - BBC 1, 10.30pm-11.35pm Match of the Day
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