ITV have unveiled their broadcast coverage plans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Mark Pougatch will lead the hosting team alongside Laura Woods and Semra Hunter, although it is likely that Woods will miss the opening day of the tournament if she is involved in ITV’s coverage of England’s 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday 9 June.
ITV will be based in Brooklyn, New York, USA, throughout the tournament co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and USA, with Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright headlining the punditry line-up.
Karen Carney, Patrick Vieira, Juan Mata, Jobi McAnuff and Wright’s son, Bradley Wright-Phillips will also be part of ITV’s punditry selection of former players, whilst Ange Postecoglou, Emma Hayes and Duncan Ferguson will add managerial punditry.
Sam Matterface will headline the commentary line-up with Jon Champion, Seb Hutchinson and Joe Speight also involved, with Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist, Andros Townsend and Lucy Ward on co-commentary duty.
Commentary will be led by Sam Matterface, Jon Champion, Seb Hutchinson and Joe Speight. Co-commentary is provided by Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist, Andros Townsend and Lucy Ward.
Gabriel Clarke and Connie McLaughlin will be ITV’s reporters at the stadiums and within England and Scotland camps respectively.
Christina Unkel will again be involved in ITV’s coverage as Referee Analyst covering analysis of controversial refereeing and VAR decisions.
ITV’s studio will also have a section covering the biggest social media and cultural moments fronted by Man v Food star, Adam Richman alongside Hunter.
ITV Sport’s social reporter, Daniyal Khan will based on the streets of New York to bring cultural perspective of fans around the city both above and under ground across the five boroughs of New York.
ITV’s Director of Sport, Niall Sloane has described the new 48-team tournament as the “biggest FIFA World Cup” in the competition’s history, with coverage across ITV1, ITV4, ITVX, STV and STV Player, whilst there is a World Cup 24/7 channel on ITVX.
“This is the biggest FIFA World Cup in history and we will be live from New York City for the duration of the tournament, bringing every key moment to life, free-to-air.
“Nothing unifies the UK audience more than a global sporting event and they don’t come much bigger than this. Our broadcast line-up is second to none and our comprehensive coverage across ITV, ITVX, our World Cup 24/7 Channel, plus our digital platforms will ensure the ITV audience doesn’t miss a second of action.”
ITV will broadcast 51 matches across the tournament which includes the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on 11 June, alongside England’s group matches against Croatia and Panama on 17 and 27 June, whilst there will be highlights across TV and social media channels.
There will be a digital series titled ‘Inside the World Cup’ providing a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament across all competing nations, containing exclusive interviews, backstage content and matchday coverage.
Full video coverage of all ITV matches will be available on ITVX alongside match highlights of all matches across ITV and BBC, whilst there will also be short-form content available.
Fans can also watch FIFA World Cup: Stories From The Cities, a 16-part series exploring every host city, and FIFA World Cup Preview which will cover every team’s path to the tournament.