The World Cup will take centre stage over the next five weeks with millions of viewers set to tune into the action across the UK.
The BBC and ITV are once again sharing the rights, with all 104 matches across the US, Canada and Mexico being shown live and for free on TV.
Both broadcasters have assembled an impressive collection of on-screen talent, with the likes of Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and Roy Keane amongst the stars who will be offering their expert analysis.
But whilst the BBC and ITV are both stacked with big names, their respective approaches to covering the tournament are very different – at least to start off with.
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Instead of making the trip across the pond to North America, the BBC have elected to present games from their immersive studio in Salford until the latter stages of the knockouts.
The decision to stay in the UK has been made with financial and environmental considerations in mind, with the BBC eager to keep costs for the expanded 48-team tournament to a minimum whilst also committing to reducing its carbon footprint.
ITV, on the other hand, will be based in Brooklyn, New York, for the duration of the competition, and their studio will boast views of the Manhattan skyline and Brooklyn Bridge.
BBC
The BBC’s output will be fronted by presenters Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott.
Cates, Chapman and Logan replaced Gary Lineker as cost-hosts of Match of the Day last year, with this summer’s World Cup the first major international men’s tournament since 2002 in which Lineker has not been on presenting duties for the corporation.
Logan is expected to be the presenter for the World Cup final, making her the first-ever woman to present the BBC’s coverage of the biggest game in men’s football.
Shearer, Rooney and Micah Richards will be joined on the BBC’s punditry team by the likes of England legends Joe Hart, Steph Houghton and Ellen White.
An international perspective, meanwhile, will be provided by pundits including Olivier Giroud, Gael Clichy and Cesar Azpilicueta, whilst former Brentford and Tottenham manager Thomas Frank will be on hand to offer extra expertise.
Viewers who regularly follow the BBC’s football output will be familiar with the voices of Guy Mowbray, Steve Wilson, Steve Bower and Jonathan Pearce, all of whom are part of the commentary team.
BBC
Presenters
- Kelly Cates – works on Match of the Day and with Sky Sports
- Mark Chapman – works on Match of the Day and with Sky Sports
- Gabby Logan – BBC presenter since 2007
- Alex Scott – Former Arsenal and England defender
Pundits
- Alan Shearer – Former Newcastle, Blackburn and England striker
- Wayne Rooney – Former Man Utd and Everton striker and England’s second-highest goalscorer
- Micah Richards – former Man City and England defender
- Joe Hart – former Man City and England goalkeeper
- Steph Houghton – former England defender and captain
- Ellen White – former England striker and Euro 2022 winner
- Scott Brown – former Celtic and Scotland midfielder
- Olivier Giroud – former Arsenal and Chelsea striker and World Cup winner with France
- Gael Clichy – former Arsenal, Man City and France defender
- Cesar Azpilicueta – former Chelsea and Spain defender
- Benni McCarthy – former Blackburn striker and South Africa’s all-time leading goalscorer
- Ashley Williams – former Swansea and Everton defender and Wales captain
- Thomas Frank – former Brentford and Tottenham manager
- Darren Cann (referee analyst) – over 500 games as a Premier League referee
Commentators
- Guy Mowbray – Lead commentator and Match of the Day regular
- Steve Wilson – Match of the Day commentator since 2004
- Steve Bower – Match of the Day commentator and Amazon Prime presenter
- Jonathan Pearce – Match of the Day commentator since 2004
- Robyn Cowen – Match of the Day and women’s football commentator
- Steven Wyeth – Match of the Day and TNT Sports commentator
- Liam McLeod – lead BBC Scotland commentator since 2010
- Danny Murphy – former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder
- Stephen Warnock – former Liverpool and Aston Villa defender
- Efan Ekoku – former Norwich and Wimbledon striker
- Martin Keown – former Arsenal and England defender
- Sue Smith – former England forward
- Rachel Corsie – former Scotland defender
- James McFadden – former Everton, Birmingham and Scotland forward
- Paul Robinson – former Leeds, Tottenham and Blackburn goalkeeper
ITV
Whilst lead presenters Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods are well-known to sports fans, fellow host Semra Hunter is less so.
Born in Los Angeles, Hunter has become the face of Spanish football for UK audiences in recent years having worked for the likes of the BBC, ITV, Sky Sports and La Liga TV.
The 39-year-old is also experienced at covering major tournaments having already anchored coverage of the World Cup, European Championships and Champions League.
Neville and Keane are the standout personalities on ITV’s punditry line-up, which also features the likes of Ian Wright, Patrick Vieira and Karen Carney.
Former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss Ange Postecoglou and current US Women’s manager Emma Hayes will also be sharing their views from a coach’s perspective.
The commentary team will be led by Sam Matterface, Jon Champion and Seb Hutchinson, with the ever-popular Ally McCoist amongst the co-commentators.
ITV
Presenters
- Mark Pougatch – Lead presenter for ITV’s football and rugby coverage
- Laura Woods – fronts TNT Sports’ Champions League coverage
- Semra Hunter – presents coverage of Spanish football in the UK
Pundits
- Roy Keane – former Man Utd and Republic of Ireland captain
- Ian Wright – former Arsenal, Crystal Palace and England striker
- Gary Neville – former Man Utd and England defender
- Patrick Vieira – former Arsenal captain and World Cup winner with France
- Karen Carney – former Chelsea and England midfielder
- Ange Postecoglou – former Celtic, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest manager
- Juan Mata – former Chelsea and Man Utd midfielder and World Cup winner with Spain
- Emma Hayes – former Chelsea manager and current USA boss
- Duncan Ferguson – former Everton striker
- Jobi McAnuff – former Reading and Jamaica winger
- Bradley Wright-Phillips – former Southampton and New York Red Bulls striker
- Christina Unkel (referee analyst) – former FIFA referee
Commentators
- Sam Matterface – lead commentator and regular with TNT Sports and Talksport
- Jon Champion – covers English football for US broadcasters
- Seb Hutchinson – works on Sky’s coverage of the Premier League
- Joe Speight – covers the Premier League for NBC Sports
- Lee Dixon – former Arsenal and England defender
- Ally McCoist – former Rangers and Scotland striker
- Andros Townsend – former Crystal Palace and England winger
- Lucy Ward – former Leeds forward