The BBC and ITV have confirmed their selections for the 2026 World Cup, with ITV showing England's opener against Croatia
Tom Victor and Will Jenkins
13:56, 10 Dec 2025Updated 13:59, 10 Dec 2025
England's goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, England's defender Reece James, England's defender Ezri Konsa, England's striker Harry Kane, England's midfielder Nico O'Riley, England's defender John Stones, England's midfielder Declan Rice, England's striker Marcus Rashford, England striker Jarrod Bowen, England striker Morgan Rogers and England's midfielder Bukayo Saka pose for a team picture ahead of the men's football World Cup 2026 Group K qualifier between England and Serbia at Wembley Stadium in London on November 13, 2025.
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England are one of the favourites to win the 2026 World Cup(Image: BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
The BBC has secured the rights to broadcast one of England's three World Cup group matches, along with three potential knockout games should Thomas Tuchel's team advance.
ITV will air England's opening match against Croatia and their final group game versus Panama, as confirmed by the recent broadcaster allocation.
England made it to the quarter-finals in 2022 and the semi-finals four years prior. With the World Cup expanding to include 48 teams, an additional knockout round has been introduced. If England progress, the BBC will broadcast their round of 32, round of 16, and semi-final matches.
ITV will kick off the tournament coverage with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, a repeat of the inaugural fixture from the 2010 World Cup when South Africa hosted the event.
The BBC's schedule also includes the debut matches for co-hosts Mexico, Canada, and the United States. They will also cover Scotland's first game against Brazil and their subsequent match against underdogs Haiti.
Thomas Tuchel attended the draw in Washington D.C.
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Thomas Tuchel attended the draw in Washington D.C.(Image: Michael Regan - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
With ITV airing the tournament's first two matches on 11 June, the BBC's coverage will commence the following day. Their first match will feature host nation Canada, with either Wales or Northern Ireland potentially facing them, depending on the outcome of their qualifying play-offs.
Two of England's group stage adversaries were also their opponents in the 2018 World Cup. Panama suffered a 6-1 defeat in the group stage, while Croatia ended England's journey in the semi-finals, handing Gareth Southgate's squad a bitter loss.
England's current manager Tuchel, ahead of his first World Cup, emphasised the importance of team spirit and determination, stating: "It's most important that we arrive with hunger," and adding, "We arrive with hunger and with excitement and arrive as a team. We don't worry. We don't worry about our opponents."
He continued, "So it makes no sense, we will not get carried away, we will not point out a pathway or whatever, we will just make sure we play well and do good in the group."
Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland could potentially join England and Scotland at the tournament. The former two are in the same play-off group with Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina, meaning only one can qualify, while Heimir Hallgrimsson's Irish squad need to overcome the Czech Republic and then either Denmark or North Macedonia.
Four other spots will be decided in March during the play-offs. Two of these will go to European teams, with Sweden, Ukraine, Poland and Albania in one section and Slovakia, Kosovo, Turkey and Romania in the other.
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Additionally, two inter-confederation play-offs will take place in Mexico. The victor of New Caledonia vs Jamaica will face DR Congo for a tournament spot, while the winner of Suriname vs Bolivia will compete against Iraq.