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ITV have confirmed their star-studded line-up for the World Cup – with the broadcaster looking to upstage the BBC for this summer’s tournament.
Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira are among the high-profile names to lend their insight and expertise throughout the 104-game bonanza, while the network has also landed former Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.
There is no room, however, for Eni Aluko. The former England Lioness has distanced herself from UK punditry roles after her spat with Ian Wright, in which she controversially accused of ‘blocking’ broadcasting opportunities for female pundits in women’s sport.
Arsenal legend Wright will feature for ITV at the tournament.
Aluko worked for ITV at the last World Cup in 2022 but has not been selected this time. Earlier this year, she confirmed that she would take a step back from punditry jobs in Britain and is currently working for a Nigerian broadcaster.
Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods are set to lead the coverage, with Pougatch taking the lead for England’s matches.
ITV have gone all out and will be based in a studio in New York with a dramatic view of Brooklyn Bridge and the Big Apple’s iconic skyline.
The channel’s approach is a contrast to that of the BBC, who will not have a studio in the US and who are not planning on sending their top pundits until the quarter-final stage.
That decision has been criticised by former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker, who described their studio as ‘a green box in Salford’.
ITV will air 51 matches throughout the tournament, and have amassed an eclectic array of pundits to ensure all bases are covered.
Alongside channel stalwarts like Keane and Wright, former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, Duncan Ferguson, Karen Carney, Patrick Vieira, Bradley Wright-Phillips, and Juan Mata will flesh out a stacked cast.
The broadcaster will also look to harness their on-the-ground advantages with additional segments from their studio in Brooklyn, led by Adam Richman of Man Vs Food fame.
Alongside co-presenter Semra Hunter, Richman will aim to give viewers a third eye on the tournament, with a socio-cultural bent.
