Spectators could return to GAA, football and rugby matches by the end of June under trial events being prepared by the Government.
As part of the next reopening phase announcement on Friday, the Government will set out plans for the return of fans to pilot sporting fixtures including All Ireland and League of Ireland games as well as rugby and other sports including athletics and golf.
The trial events will start small with a capacity of just 5% of stadia, meaning up to 4,000 spectators could return to the Aviva and Croke Park stadiums.
Regional venues will also be covered by the announcement. If these are successful, events would scale up gradually through the summer and could see a return to 30% capacity in large stadia later in the