Who are the BBC and ITV commentators and pundits for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

It's nearly time for the World Cup, and for viewers in the UK, the BBC and ITV have us covered as they'll be screening every game from football's quadrennial spectacular.

The World Cup is the globe's most watched sporting event, which means television coverage of the tournament is pitched to a mammoth audience.

The BBC and ITV have shared the United Kingdom's TV broadcasting rights to every World Cup since 1966, and every four years, the two networks go head-to-head in their attempts to outperform the other in the battle for critical and ratings supremacy.

Ahead of the tournament, GOAL breaks down the faces and voices we'll see on each broadcaster, and tells you which game is on which channel.

World Cup pundits & presenters on the BBC

This will be the first World Cup this century where the BBC's coverage is not led by Gary Lineker, who had been a firm fixture of the Beeb's TV football broadcasts since France 98 until his departure from the corporation at the end of the 2024/25 season.

Former England striker and World Cup golden boot winner Lineker has been replaced in the Match of the Day presenting hotseat by the trio of Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan over the past season.

They'll be anchoring the BBC's coverage from North America this summer, along with former Arsenal and England women's defender Alex Scott - who recently presented the last ever edition of long-running preview show Football Focus.

This quartet of hosts will be joined by an array of former and current players and managers, which includes Match of the Day mainstays and former England internationals Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards.

The Three Lions are also represented by Joe Hart, Steph Houghton, Danny Murphy, Paul Robinson and Ellen White.

Scott Brown, Rachel Corsie and James McFadden will be representing Scotland, with former Wales captain Ashley Williams completing the line-up of former internationals from the home nations.

The international flavour will be provided by César Azpilicueta, Gaël Clichy, Thomas Frank, Benni McCarthy and 2018 FIFA World Cup winner Olivier Giroud.

Darren Cann, who was an assistant referee at 2010's UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup finals, will provide analysis from a match official's perspective.

What about the commentary?

BBC TV's commentary will be led by familiar voices from Match of the Day, including Guy Mowbray, Steve Wilson, Steve Bower, Jonathan Pearce, Robyn Cowen and Steven Wyeth, with Sportscene'sLiam McLeod set to commentate on Scotland's games.

Their co-commentators will include former England internationals Alan Shearer, Danny Murphy, Stephen Warnock, Martin Keown, Sue Smith and Paul Robinson, ex-Scotland players Rachel Corsie and James McFadden, plus Efan Ekoku, a member of the Nigeria squad at USA 94.

BBC Radio 5 Live's commentaries will also be made available on selected fixtures televised by the BBC, while an audio description service for blind and partially-sighted supporters will be made available on all live games.

Additionally, Kelly Somers will report from the England camp, while Eilidh Barbour will be embedded with the Scotland squad.

World Cup pundits & presenters on ITV

Mark Pougatch will be ITV's lead presenter for a third consecutive World Cup, having assumed the mantle as the network's main football anchor in 2015.

Sharing the presenting duties are Laura Woods and Semra Hunter, with the latter host set to be joined by Man v Food's Adam Richman in ITV's studios in Brooklyn, New York. Richman will be joined by celebrity guests to look at the World Cup's social and cultural moments.

Joining the presenters in the network's Brooklyn studios will be an array of former internationals, including a number of pundits familiar to viewers of Sky Sports' football coverage and ITV's coverage of previous World Cups.

Former Manchester United team-mates Gary Neville and Roy Keane will be returning to the ITV line-up, having been a part of its team during Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.

They'll face off against their former Arsenal rivals Ian Wright, who has also been among ITV's pundits at the past three World Cups, and 1998 FIFA World Cup winner Patrick Vieira. A third ex-Arsenal player in Karen Carney will also join the panel, having represented England at four Women's World Cups.

Wright's son Bradley Wright-Phillips, who is based in the United States after spending nine years of his playing career in Major League Soccer, is set to make his debut as part of ITV's punditry team.

Emma Hayes, manager of the United States women's national team, will be returning to the network's coverage after being a part of its team during UEFA Euro 2020.

Ex-Everton player, coach and interim manager Duncan Ferguson will offer analysis from a Scotland perspective, with an international flavour being provided by 2010 FIFA World Cup winner Juan Mata, ex-Jamaica international Jobi McAnuff and former Australia player and manager Ange Postecoglou.

Former FIFA match official Christina Unkel will be ITV's refereeing analyst, having been utilised by the network in this role during UEFA Euro 2024.

What about the commentary?

ITV's commentaries will be led Sam Matterface, Jon Champion, Seb Hutchinson and Joe Speight.

They'll be joined by co-commentators Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist, Andros Townsend and Lucy Ward.

The network will also call upon Gabriel Clarke as its reporter following the England squad, while Connie McLaughlin will be with the Scotland team. Daniyal Khan is set to be ITV's social reporter in New York.

Where can I watch the final?

As is tradition, both BBC One and ITV1 will screen the final live, as has been the case for every FIFA World Cup final since 1966.

Spain face Argentina in the World Cup final, which will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday 19th July, and will kick off at 8pm BST.

BBC One's live coverage is scheduled to start at 7pm, while ITV1's broadcast will get underway 15 minutes earlier at 6.45pm.

Will UK viewers be able to watch the final's half-time show and closing ceremony?

It has been widely reported that BBC One and ITV1 are now planning to broadcast the World Cup final's half-time show, which is expected to last between 20 and 25 minutes, in the vein of the half-time performances at the NFL's Super Bowl.

The half-time show will be co-headlined by Colombian pop star Shakira, who will perform the official World Cup song Dai Dai, veteran US singer Madonna, plus K-pop band BTS, South Korea's all-time best-selling musical act.

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber has subsequently been added to the list of performers who will take part in the half-time show, which also includes Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, British rock band Coldplay and the New York school choir the PS22 Chorus.

Prior to the tournament, it was widely reported that both the BBC and ITV were not planning to show the half-time show as part of their linear TV coverage of the World Cup final, but the management of both broadcasters are now understood to have had a change of heart.

There will also be a pre-match closing ceremony, as there traditionally has been ahead of previous World Cup finals. This ceremony is set to start at 6.30pm BST, which is before BBC One and ITV1 begin their live coverage of the World Cup final at 7pm and 6.45pm respectively.

It is possible that the networks will broadcast a full feed of the closing ceremony - which will feature actor Tom Cruise, singer-songwriters Jennifer Hudson, Laura Pausini, Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams, and influencer IShowSpeed - through their online and digital platforms.

Which channels were the England games on?

ITV1 televised England's first and last matches from Group L, the fixtures against Croatia on Wednesday 17th June and against Panama on Saturday 27th June, and broadcast Thomas Tuchel's team's quarter-final against Norway on Saturday 11th July.

BBC One screened England's games against Ghana from Group L on Tuesday 23rd June, DR Congo from the round of 32 on Wednesday 1st July, Mexico from the round of 16 in the early hours of Monday 6th July, Argentina in the semi-finals on Wednesday 15th July and France in third place play-off on Saturday 18th July.

Here is a full breakdown of the UK TV coverage of England's matches:

Which channels were Scotland's matches on?

BBC One broadcast Scotland's first and final Group C games, with Steve Clarke's side facing Haiti in the early hours of Sunday 14th June and Brazil on Wednesday 24th June. ITV1 and its Scottish equivalent STV televised Scotland vs Morocco on Friday 19th June.

Here is a rundown of the UK TV coverage of Scotland's fixtures from Group C:

Which channels were the semi-finals on?

ITV1 and ITVX broadcast France vs Spain at 8pm BST on Tuesday 14th July, while BBC One and the BBC iPlayer showed England vs Argentina at 8pm BST on Wednesday 15th July.

Which channels were the quarter-finals on?

ITV1 and ITVX televised three of the four quarter-finals, including England's clash with Norway at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami at 10pm BST on Saturday 11th July. BBC One and the BBC iPlayer broadcast Spain vs Belgium at 8pm BST on Friday 10th July.

Which channels were the round of 16 games on?

The BBC and ITV each screened four of the eight fixtures from the round of 16. England's crunch game against Mexico at Estadio Azteca, which kicked off at 2am BST in the early hours of Monday 6th July, was live on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer.

Which channels were the round of 32 matches on?

Upon the completion of the group stage, the BBC and ITV agreed on which round of 32 games each channel would televise. England's clash with the Democratic Republic of Congo, which kicked off at 5pm BST on Wednesday 1st July, was live on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer.

Was the opening game on ITV or the BBC?

ITV1 broadcast the first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosts Mexico vs South Africa from Group A, on Thursday 11th June.

Kick-off at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City was 8pm BST, although the match was preceded by the first of three opening ceremonies - one at each of the first games staged in all three host nations, each of which involve that country's team.

Colombian reggaeton artist J Balvin and South African singer-songwriter Tyla performed at the Azteca ahead of El Tri's clash with Bafana Bafana.

On Friday 12th June, Canada's Group B opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, an 8pm BST kick-off, was preceded by performances by Canadian singer-songwriters Michael Buble and Alanis Morissette.

Then in the early hours of Saturday 13th June, US pop star Katy Perry and rapper Future performed before the United States played Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California to begin Group D, a game that kicked off at 2am BST.

Both Canada vs Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United States vs Paraguay were televised by BBC One.

Full World Cup 2026 UK TV schedule

This has been the biggest ever edition of the World Cup, with the tournament expanding from 32 to 48 teams. This means there'll be 104 matches, up from the 64 games that have been staged during each edition of the tournament since France 98.

In total, the BBC channels will broadcast 54 live games, while the ITV network will televise 51 live matches. As is tradition, both BBC One and ITV1 will screen the FIFA World Cup final, which takes place on Sunday 19th July.

You can see the full breakdown of the UK TV coverage of the 2026 World Cup below, including the games, dates and times.

How to watch the UK TV coverage with a VPN

If you are travelling abroad or just want to access your usual streaming services from a different part of the world, you may run into geo-restrictions. This is where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) comes in handy.

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