Finland extends partnership with five-year TV rights agreement for WOC, EOC and the Orienteering World Cup

Finland extends partnership with five-year TV rights agreement for WOC, EOC and the Orienteering World Cup

Press Release

Finland extends partnership with five-year TV rights agreement for WOC, EOC and the Orienteering World Cup

The International Orienteering Federation (IOF) and the Finnish Federation together with the Finnish public broadcaster YLE have agreed on a new five-year media rights partnership, securing comprehensive coverage of international orienteering events for the audience in Finland 2026-2030.

“The Finnish Orienteering Federation and YLE have played a key role in developing orienteering into the exciting TV sport it is today. It is great to be able to bring live television coverage of the world’s best orienteers and their battles for the medals to the passionate audience in Finland. YLE’s commitment to broadcasting our major events live ensures that Finnish fans can continue to follow the sport at the highest international level, and we are very pleased to extend this partnership for the coming years.” says IOF CEO, Henrik Eliasson.

Finnish National Eetu Savolainen runs into the finish during World Orienteering Championships in Kuopio, Finland in 2025. Photo: Kristina Lindgren

Under the agreement, YLE will broadcast all major IOF events, including the World Orienteering Championships (WOC), European Orienteering Championships (EOC) and all Orienteering World Cup rounds.

For 2026 season there will be a record high number of TV Broadcasts including the following competitions:

• 24–26 April 2026 – Orienteering World Cup Round 1, Switzerland
• 27–31 May 2026 – Orienteering World Cup Round 2, Sweden
• 6–11 July 2026 – World Orienteering Championships, Italy
• 5–9 August 2026 – Orienteering World Cup Round 3, Czechia
• 23–27 September 2026 – Orienteering World Cup Round 4 and European Orienteering Championships, Lithuania

The new agreement continues a strong collaboration between IOF and YLE, which has played an important role in bringing international orienteering to Finnish viewers through high-quality television productions and expert coverage. For several years, orienteering broadcasts have achieved an average audience share of over 20% in Finland, and among YLE broadcasts Orienteering is a top tier sport in the summer. For YLE, the agreement reinforces its commitment to covering popular sports that have deep roots in Finnish culture. The Finnish Orienteering Federation has a well-established cooperation with YLE.

“Orienteering has a strong tradition in Finland and attracts a dedicated audience. By combining the 15 international broadcasts with Jukola, and the 7 Finnish Relay league broadcasts we are offering the fans in Finland something bigger and better than ever in 2026 and beyond.” says Mika Ilomäki, Managing Director of The Finnish Orienteering Federation.

Finland’s Venla Harju during EOC 2022 in Estonia. Photo: Donatas Lazauskas

At the same time, the IOF has secured the international TV rights to the Finnish Relay League, which will be broadcast on IOF TV together with the Junior World Championships and the 10MILA Relay in 2026 and in the coming years.

Don’t miss a second of the 2026 Orienteering season – Get the 2026 VIP Pass for IOF TV.