Aims: An association between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and atrial fibrillation (AF) has been established. However, studies on the role of OSA in AF recurrence after catheter ablation have yielded conflicting results, and the effect of OSA treatment by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the success rate of AF catheter ablation is indeterminate. The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the rate of AF recurrence after catheter ablation in patients with AF with or without OSA and to evaluate the relationship between CPAP therapy and AF recurrence. Methods and results: We performed an online search and identified five studies involving 3743 patients with AF. Patients with OSA had a 31% greater risk of AF recurrence after catheter ablation than did patients without OSA [relative ratio (RR) = 1.31, P = 0.00], and this risk increased by 57% in patients with OSA not undergoing CPAP therapy (RR = 1.57, P = 0.00). However, CPAP users had a risk of AF recurrence similar to that of patients without OSA (RR = 1.25, P = 0.37), and this similarity was maintained even after the removal of study heterogeneity (RR = 0.99, P = 0.39). Conclusion: Obstructive sleep apnoea was associated with AF recurrence after catheter ablation. The efficacy of catheter ablation for AF was similar between patients without OSA and patients with OSA undergoing CPAP treatment. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2014.