The UK television schedule for the 2026 World Cup has been confirmed, with ITV set to carry England’s opening group stage fixture.
The Three Lions’ years of hurt now number at 60, and Thomas Tuchel is the latest coach to try his hand at bringing them to an end.
Much has been made of the kick-off times for this tournament, but England’s are relatively sympathetic for the British viewership. Some younger punters may need to bend bed-time rules to take in the group stage finale, though, which gets underway at 10pm BST.
As is generally the case, the BBC and ITV will take turns broadcasting England matches to the home nations. ITV carry both pre-tournament warm-up friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica, and will also take on two of the three group stage fixtures.
Provided England progress from the preliminary round, the BBC will take on the majority of their knockout fixtures and both networks will broadcast the final - regardless of who plays it.
England at World Cup 2026 TV schedule
Wednesday, 17 June - England vs Croatia - 9pm - ITV1
Tuesday, 23 June - England vs Ghana - 9pm - BBC One
Saturday, 27 June - Panama vs England - 10pm - ITV1
Last-32 game - TBC - BBC
Last-16 game - TBC - BBC
Quarter-final - TBC - ITV
Semi-final - TBC - BBC
Final - TBC - BBC and ITV
Where to watch England at World Cup 2026
TV channel: The matches will be televised on either a BBC or ITV channel.
Live stream: UK TV license holders will be able to watch matches online via BBC iPlayer or ITVX.
Live blog: You can follow all the action via Standard Sport’s live blog.
