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Krishan Davis

How ITV is planning to 'blow Gary Lineker-less BBC out of the water' with 2026 World Cup coverage with Roy Keane & Gary Neville set to sign up as pundits

ITV plans to take advantage of the BBC's cut-price coverage to win the battle of the broadcasters at this summer's World Cup. While the BBC will not have a studio in North America for the group stage, their rivals have decided to base themselves in the heart of New York from the outset, and they plan to have an all-star cast of pundits to 'blow their competitors out of the water'.

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    ITV set for swish New York studio

    ITV will base itself in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of New York right from the start of the tournament, with their studio boasting views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan, according to The Telegraph. What's more, the terrestrial broadcaster is in advanced talks with a clutch of big-name pundits over reprising roles on the team, including Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright. Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods will share the hosting duties.

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  • Lineker-less BBC go for pared-back approach

    Meanwhile, the BBC - who won't have Gary Lineker presenting their World Cup coverage for the first time since 1998 - are going for a more pared-back approach for the first phase of the tournament, which is being hosted across the USA, Canada and Mexico. Their team of presenters and pundits will initially work from the BBC Sport's Salford base, with joint Match of the Day hosts Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan fronting their coverage. It's not yet clear when they will head stateside for the knockout rounds. Pundit Alan Shearer will jet out to the tournament from the first game to fulfil co-commentary duties. Micah Richards will also form part of the BBC team.

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    Lineker's would-be swansong

    The 2026 World Cup was supposed to be Lineker's last dance as the BBC's lead football presenter, but the ex-England striker was forced to quit in acrimonious circumstances in May 2025 after sharing anti-Semitic imagery on social media. He will still be at the tournament, however, working on his 'The Rest Is Football' podcast.

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  • Battle of the broadcasters at the 2026 World Cup

    With more games than ever before following the World Cup's expansion from 32 teams to 48, the battle of the viewing figures and TV ratings will be fierce this summer. Of the 72 group phase matches, the BBC will broadcast 38 while there will be 34 on ITV. England's first and final group games will be on ITV, but their round of 32, last 16 and semi-finals would be on the BBC, should they progress that far. The final will be broadcast on both channels as usual.

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