A fully packed Stade de France, thousands of youths and the Pope Leo XIV at the heart of the pitch: Friday night, Saint-Denis hosts an unprecedented gathering. The Youth Vigil with the Pope Leo XIV takes place Friday, September 25, 2026 at the Stade de France, with events starting at 6:30 p.m. and the Pontiff’s arrival slated for around 9 p.m. For those without tickets, several options let you watch the Stade de France vigil live on TV and streaming, notably on France 2, LCI and KTO, but also on france.tv, Vatican News and the Catholic Church’s digital channels in France. The Vatican officially lists on its program a “prayer vigil with the youth” at 9 p.m. in Saint-Denis.
Pope Leo XIV at the Stade de France: everything you need to know about the great youth vigil
The big youth vigil with Pope Léon XIV will take place on Friday, September 25, 2026 at the Stade de France. More than 80,000 young people aged 17 to 35 are expected for this major event that blends celebration, teaching, and prayer. Schedule, times, access, allowed items... here’s everything you need to know before the evening. [Read more]
What time does the Youth Vigil begin at the Stade de France?
First pitfall to avoid: there are several time slots, depending on whether you mean the stadium doors opening, the start of the activities, or the arrival of Leo XIV.
The French official program suggests doors opening at 17h15, followed by a prologue at 18h30.
The actual vigil begins at 19h30 and is expected to end around 22h30.
On the Vatican's official schedule, the meeting with Pope Leo XIV is set for 21h, which corresponds to his arrival for the main time of encounter and prayer with the youth.
Nearly 80,000 young people aged 17 to 35 are expected at the Saint-Denis venue. With all tickets sold out, watching on TV has become a practical option for those who missed out!
It will be France 2 that offers the main nationwide free-to-air broadcast. France Télévisions is the official broadcaster of Léon XIV’s visit to France and will handle the recording of the event as well as the production of the international signal.
The evening will start at 8:00 PM with the Journal de France 2, unusually hosted by Laurent Delahousse from the Stade de France. At 8:45 PM, we shift to La grande veillée des jeunes avec le pape, hosted by Léa Salamé and Stéphane Bern. France 2’s schedule has the broadcast running through to 10:55 PM.
France Télévisions also announced that the broadcast will be available on its digital platforms: the live stream can also be watched on france.tv.
On the TF1 group side, you’ll want to switch to LCI this Friday night instead of TF1. The news channel is announcing a special broadcast starting at 7:30 p.m., live from the Stade de France. Darius Rochebin will host the show from a set installed inside the venue, while Margot Haddad will be out among the crowd and close to the action on stage.
So it's a good option to follow the stadium's atmosphere before the pope's arrival, expected around 9 p.m.
To ensure you don't miss a moment of the event, KTO is offering even more comprehensive coverage. The Catholic channel will host a live studio broadcast from the Stade de France starting at 6:30 PM, presented by Honorine Grasset, with reports and testimonies ahead of the evening's main moments. KTO then sets its vigil programming to begin around 7:45 PM, followed by the arrival of Léon XIV around 9 PM.
The programming is also available live on ktotv.com, the KTO app, YouTube, and the channel's social media.
| Broadcaster | Announced schedule | Broadcasting |
|---|---|---|
| KTO | from 6:30 PM | TV, website, app, YouTube |
| LCI | from 7:30 PM | live special program |
| France 2 | 8:45 PM | live evening program until 10:55 PM |
| France 2 – JT | 8:00 PM | Live news bulletin from the Stade de France |
| france.tv | live | France Télévisions’ platform |
| ICI Paris Île-de-France | from 7:04 PM | special edition, plus YouTube livestream |
| Vatican News | around the papal schedule | international live feed |
| YouTube Église catholique en France | live | official broadcast |
The official page for the papal trip confirms, in particular, that the vigil will be broadcast on France Télévisions, KTO, Vatican News, RCF Notre-Dame, as well as on the Catholic Church in France’s YouTube channel.
The event will also be broadcast outside France thanks to the international feed produced by France Télévisions and Vatican News, which cover the major milestones of the pope’s apostolic journey.
In Italy, the Catholic channel TV2000 will also air the Stade de France pre-match program from 9:00 PM, with a digital feed available via Play2000. For French speakers living abroad, france.tv can also be a viable option, depending on the broadcasting rights in the country in question.
The evening won’t be defined by a long hush in the stands. Before the arrival of Léon XIV, the organizers have planned a program that blends music, testimonials, celebration and prayer. Several artists are slated to take the stage, including Natasha St-Pier, Grégory Turpin, Anisha Jo, Monroe, Les Frangines, Les Guetteurs, and rapper Tagra. After his arrival around 9 p.m., Léon XIV is expected to meet with the youth, hear their questions, address them, and then take part in a time of prayer.
Several artists join the lineup for the grand youth vigil at the Stade de France on September 25, 2026, in the presence of Pope Leo XIV. The musical program for this exceptional evening is starting to unfold. [Read more]
A detail particularly rooted in the Île-de-France area is also likely to catch the eye: the evening's program includes the presentation of the Holy Tunic of Argenteuil, a relic traditionally linked to the Passion of Christ and housed in the Basilica Saint-Denys d'Argenteuil in the Val-d'Oise.
Between a giant concert, a religious gathering and spectacular footage from the Stade de France, this opening night of Pope Leo XIV's trip to France should far exceed a simple liturgical broadcast. And to watch it from the start, remember three time slots: 6:30 p.m. on KTO, 7:30 p.m. on LCI and 8:45 p.m. on France 2.
Note: broadcasters' schedules may still change ahead of Friday, September 25; the trip's official page itself states that airtime is specified by the networks as the event approaches.
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