UK TV channels airing FIFA World Cup 2026: Options, match schedules, and online alternatives

All 104 World Cup 2026 matches are free-to-air in the UK, with the BBC and ITV (or STV in Scotland) sharing the broadcast rights equally. UK fans are truly lucky to get to see all the games without paying a penny. In this guide, we cover the exact schedules, commentary teams, and radio/online alternatives.

How to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 in the UK (TV, online, and audio)

Every single match of the World Cup 2026 will be shown either on the BBC or ITV (STV if you live in Scotland). The two networks shared the broadcast rights equally – 52 matches for each and a shared final streaming. If you are away from your television, you can watch every game live or catch up later through each network's streaming platform – BBC iPlayer and ITVX (STV Player for viewers in Scotland) on a web browser or their official mobile app.

• BBC: Matches are on BBC One and BBC Two, but using BBC iPlayer or their website gets you the stream in UHD – a big difference if you have a 4K screen.
• ITV / STV: Fixtures bounce between ITV1 and ITV4, so you must check channel availability before kick-off. ITVX and STV Player keep the live streams and replays in one place anyway.
• The final: On July 19th, both networks show the match simultaneously, so you can just choose your preferred commentary team.

ITV Director of Sport Niall Sloane summed up the excitement by saying, ‘The World Cup always delivers some of the most memorable, historic and exciting moments in the sporting calendar and we are pleased to display the finest footballing action to the widest possible audience.’

Online digital features

The BBC is putting interactive 3D tactical views on its site and streaming early game clips on social media. It makes watching even more engaging and literally lets you be inside the match.

• The 3D experience: The FIFA World Cup 3D tool on the BBC Sport website lets you switch camera angles, trace team setups, and check player data while the game is running. Journalist James Roberts noted, ‘If you are really into your statistics and tactics, you could spend quite a while on the BBC’s World Cup 3D Experience.’
• Social streams: If you are away from a screen when the kick-off time arrives, the BBC will stream the pre-match build-up and the first 10 minutes of certain games on their YouTube and TikTok channels.

Radio and audio

BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds are carrying live audio commentary for 92 games – in case you want to catch up with the action while driving or working. You also get regional feeds and a daily rotation of podcasts to help you keep track of results across different time zones.

• Live commentary: The main audio feed is available nationwide on BBC Sounds, while listeners in Scotland can tune into BBC Radio nan Gàidheal for Scottish Gaelic commentary.
• Podcasts: For your morning routine, the Football Daily podcast drops every day, alongside twice-weekly episodes of The Wayne Rooney Show and comedy from Game's Gone: The Steve Bracknall Podcast.

Want to find more watching options? Check our full UK FIFA watching guide with online subscription services, bars, and fan zones included.

BBC and ITV commentary teams for FIFA 2026

The BBC is sticking to their reliable tournament regulars like Mark Chapman and Alan Shearer, while ITV is flying their crew out to a studio in Brooklyn, where Roy Keane and Laura Woods will be analysing games with a New York backdrop.

BBC broadcasting team

The BBC is mixing the main crew, including Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan, with a few recently retired players – like Joe Hart –  who know what’s happening inside the teams.

• Presenters: Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates, and Alex Scott. Whoever holds the remote, you are getting the most experienced hosts in British sports television running the studio.
• Commentators: Guy Mowbray, Steve Wilson, Steve Bower, Jonathan Pearce, Robyn Cowen, and Steven Wyeth. For the Scotland fixtures, Liam McLeod takes the main microphone, so you get local insight.
• Pundits and co-commentators: Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, and Micah Richards bring the familiar Saturday night dynamic, while recent retirees like Joe Hart offer a fresh perspective on modern tournament pressure. They are joined by Paul Robinson, Steph Houghton, Ellen White, Danny Murphy, Scott Brown, Rachel Corsie, Darren Cann and James McFadden.
• International insight: Thomas Frank provides active Premier League tactical breakdowns, while Olivier Giroud and César Azpilicueta bring actual experience of winning recent major international finals. Gaël Clichy, Benni McCarthy, and Ashley Williams complete the panel.

ITV broadcasting team

ITV is bringing Mark Pougatch, Sam Matterface and other stars, broadcasting directly from New York and adding lifestyle segments with Adam Richman alongside their usual match analysis.

• Presenters: Mark Pougatch, Laura Woods, and Semra Hunter run the main football coverage. They are bringing in Man v Food host Adam Richman for lifestyle segments, which means you will see a lot of local food and fan culture between matches.
• Commentators: Sam Matterface takes the lead for the biggest fixtures, supported by Jon Champion, Seb Hutchinson, and Joe Speight.
• Pundits and co-commentators: With Roy Keane, Gary Neville, and Ian Wright, you get the unfiltered debate from The Overlap on live television. You also get genuine elite-level coaching insight from Ange Postecoglou and Emma Hayes, alongside Patrick Vieira, Karen Carney, Juan Mata, Duncan Ferguson, Jobi McAnuff, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Lee Dixon, Ally McCoist, Andros Townsend, and Lucy Ward.
• Reporters and specialists: Gabriel Clarke and Connie McLaughlin handle the direct pitchside interviews, while Daniyal Khan tracks fan reactions around New York City. Christina Unkel is there to explain complex VAR and referee decisions, which saves you from listening to pundits guess the rules.

Home nations matches

Both the BBC and ITV broadcast England and Scotland matches, split. If England makes it through the group stage, all their knockout games (right up to the semi-finals) will be on the BBC only.  

England (Group L)

ITV is showing two of the fixtures, so they are your main channel for the group stage, but you will still need to switch over to the BBC for one match.

• June 17th (9 PM BST): England vs Croatia – ITV / ITVX
• June 23rd (9 PM BST): England vs Ghana – BBC / BBC iPlayer
• June 27th (10 PM BST): Panama vs England – ITV / ITVX

Scotland (Group C)

For Scotland fans, the BBC is your primary home for the group stage with two games, though you will need to check STV for the second match.

• June 14th (2 AM BST): Haiti vs Scotland – BBC / BBC iPlayer
• June 19th (11 PM BST): Scotland vs Morocco – ITV / STV
• June 24th (11 PM BST): Scotland vs Brazil – BBC / BBC iPlayer

The complete group stage schedule

The FIFA group stage ends on June 28th, with most games starting after 8 PM UK time.

It’s best to double-check the kick-off time on the day, just in case of late changes.

Check this World Cup coverage by date, match and channel (every time here is in BST):

Thursday, June 11th:

• 8:00 PM: Mexico vs South Africa (ITV)

Friday, June 12th:

• 3:00 AM: South Korea vs Czech Republic (ITV)
• 8:00 PM: Canada vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (BBC)

Saturday, June 13th:

• 2:00 AM: USA vs Paraguay (BBC)
• 8:00 PM: Qatar vs Switzerland (ITV)
• 11:00 PM: Brazil vs Morocco (BBC)

Sunday, June 14th:

• 2:00 AM: Haiti vs Scotland (BBC)
• 5:00 AM: Australia vs Turkey (ITV)
• 9:00 PM: Netherlands vs Japan (ITV)

Monday, June 15th:

• 12:00 AM: Ivory Coast vs Ecuador (BBC)
• 3:00 AM: Sweden vs Tunisia (ITV)
• 8:00 PM: Belgium vs Egypt (BBC)
• 11:00 PM: Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay (ITV)

Tuesday, June 16th:

• 2:00 AM: Iran vs New Zealand (BBC)
• 5:00 PM: France vs Senegal (BBC)
• 11:00 PM: Iraq vs Norway (BBC)

Wednesday, June 17th:

• 2:00 AM: Argentina vs Algeria (ITV)
• 5:00 AM: Austria vs Jordan (BBC)
• 6:00 PM: Portugal vs DR Congo (BBC)
• 9:00 PM: England vs Croatia (ITV)

Thursday, June 18th:

• 12:00 AM: Ghana vs Panama (ITV)
• 3:00 AM: Uzbekistan vs Colombia (BBC)
• 5:00 PM: Czech Republic vs South Africa (BBC)
• 8:00 PM: Switzerland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (ITV)
• 11:00 PM: Canada vs Qatar (ITV)

Friday, June 19th:

• 2:00 AM: Mexico vs South Korea (BBC)
• 8:00 PM: USA vs Australia (BBC)
• 11:00 PM: Scotland vs Morocco (ITV)

Saturday, June 20th:

• 2:00 AM: Brazil vs Haiti (ITV)
• 5:00 AM: Turkey vs Paraguay (ITV)
• 6:00 PM: Netherlands vs Sweden (BBC)
• 9:00 PM: Germany vs Ivory Coast (ITV)

Sunday, June 21st:

• 1:00 AM: Ecuador vs Curacao (BBC)
• 5:00 AM: Tunisia vs Japan (BBC)
• 5:00 PM: Spain vs Saudi Arabia (BBC)
• 8:00 PM: Belgium vs Iran (ITV)
• 11:00 PM: Uruguay vs Cape Verde (BBC)

Monday, June 22nd:

• 2:00 AM: New Zealand vs Egypt (ITV)
• 6:00 PM: Argentina vs Austria (BBC)
• 10:00 PM: France vs Iraq (BBC)

Tuesday, June 23rd:

• 1:00 AM: Norway vs Senegal (ITV)
• 4:00 AM: Jordan vs Algeria (ITV)
• 6:00 PM: Portugal vs Uzbekistan (ITV)
• 9:00 PM: England vs Ghana (BBC)

Wednesday, June 24th:

• 12:00 AM: Panama vs Croatia (BBC)
• 3:00 AM: Colombia vs DR Congo (ITV)
• 8:00 PM: Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Qatar (ITV)
• 8:00 PM: Switzerland vs Canada (ITV)
• 11:00 PM: Morocco vs Haiti (BBC)
• 11:00 PM: Scotland vs Brazil (BBC)

Thursday, June 25th:

• 2:00 AM: Czech Republic vs Mexico (BBC)
• 2:00 AM: South Africa vs South Korea (BBC)
• 9:00 PM: Curacao vs Ivory Coast (BBC)
• 9:00 PM: Ecuador vs Germany (BBC)

Friday, June 26th:

• 12:00 AM: Japan vs Sweden (BBC)
• 12:00 AM: Tunisia vs Netherlands (BBC)
• 3:00 AM: Paraguay vs Australia (ITV)
• 3:00 AM: Turkey vs USA (ITV)
• 8:00 PM: Norway vs France (ITV)
• 8:00 PM: Senegal vs Iraq (ITV)

Saturday, June 27th:

• 1:00 AM: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia (ITV)
• 1:00 AM: Uruguay vs Spain (ITV)
• 4:00 AM: Egypt vs Iran (BBC)
• 4:00 AM: New Zealand vs Belgium (BBC)
• 10:00 PM: Croatia vs Ghana (ITV)
• 10:00 PM: Panama vs England (ITV)

Sunday, June 28th:

• 12:30 AM: Colombia vs Portugal (BBC)
• 12:30 AM: DR Congo vs Uzbekistan (BBC)
• 3:00 AM: Algeria vs Austria (BBC)
• 3:00 AM: Jordan vs Argentina (BBC)

The knockout stages

The no-second-chance games start on Sunday, June 28th, running straight through to the final on Sunday, July 19th. You will have to wait until teams actually qualify to find out which free-to-air channel gets which fixture, as the BBC and ITV split the remaining broadcast rights on the go. However, the dates and kick-off times on the match schedule are completely fixed, so you can already map out your calendar.

• Round of 32: Sunday, June 28th – Saturday, July 4th
• Round of 16: Saturday, July 4th – Tuesday, July 7th
• Quarter-finals: Thursday, July 9th – Sunday, July 12th
• Semi-finals: Tuesday, July 14th & Wednesday, July 15th (Both at 8:00 PM BST)
• Third-place play-off: Saturday, July 18th (10:00 PM BST)
• The final: Sunday, July 19th (8:00 PM BST)

More on the World Cup:

• FIFA 2026 facts and figures: What you should know as a fan.
• Double the flags, double the fun: Expat’s guide to cheering for two teams at the World Cup 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only. Profee is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or otherwise connected to FIFA, the FIFA World Cup, any national football association, team, player, broadcaster, ticketing provider, or event organiser. All trademarks, names, logos, images, and other intellectual property belong to their respective owners. Information is accurate as of June 25th, 2026 and may change; check official sources for the latest details.

Frequently asked questions about UK TV channels airing World Cup matches