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ITV are planning to blow the BBC away during this summer's World Cup with a star-studded punditry line-up. Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright are among those set to go stateside with ITV when the tournament begins in June.

Both ITV and the BBC once again share the broadcasting rights to show every game live on UK television. Unlike the Beeb, however, ITV will base themselves in North America for the entire duration of the five-and-a-half-week tournament, lining up a studio in New York which has a view of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

Meanwhile, BBC chiefs have opted not to book a studio on the scene and don't plan on sending their top pundits and presenters across the Atlantic until the quarter-final stage, when co-hosts Canada and Mexico will no longer be used. They'll instead cover the games from their headquarters in Salford.

For ITV, Neville, Keane and Wright will once again return to offer reaction and analysis at a major tournament. Presenters Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods are expected to lead the channel's coverage, with Pougatch due to cover England's matches.

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ITV have the rights to England's opener against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday, June 17, kicking off at 9pm. The BBC will then broadcast the Three Lions' clash with Ghana at 9pm on Tuesday, June 23.

England will then return to ITV for their final match of the group stage against Panama at 10pm on Saturday, June 27. Should Thomas Tuchel's side qualify, the BBC will have England's games in the last 32 and last 16.

Later in the tournament, ITV will show three quarter-finals, including the first two picks. The BBC, however, has the first pick of the semi-finals. Both broadcasters have the rights to show the final.

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ITV's Director of Sport, Niall Sloane, said last year: "The Men's FIFA World Cup 2026 is the biggest World Cup in history, showcasing the very best football talent from around the globe. Viewers will kick off the tournament with ITV as we broadcast the first two matches, including host nation Mexico v South Africa.

"ITV's coverage will be live from the United States for the duration of the tournament, as we provide expert analysis covering every key moment across the competition. Fans can exclusively enjoy two of England's group stage matches on ITV, including their first match against Croatia, plus Scotland's group match against Morocco. We are proud to broadcast the FIFA World Cup here at ITV and ensure it stays free-to-air for the UK audience to enjoy all summer."

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, added: "We can't wait to bring you the FIFA Men's World Cup 2026.

"From (hopefully) England knockout games live on BBC1 and iPlayer to Scotland's crunch matches with Haiti and Brazil to glamour games featuring [Lionel] Messi, [Kylian] Mbappe, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, Lamine Yamal, [Mo] Salah, [Erling] Haaland and more, we will bring you the drama and analysis of the moments that matter. And for the ones you can't stay up for, don't worry, we will have you covered the next morning too."

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