Meet all the ITV World Cup experts, hosts, and commentators!
ITV is gearing up to kick off the 2026 World Cup with the first match between Mexico and South Africa, featuring a fantastic team of presenters and experts covering the entire tournament. They’ll be sharing the World Cup coverage with the BBC.
ITV will broadcast 51 of the 104 matches, including two of England’s group games and Thursday’s opening match. The first game revisits the 2010 opener when South Africa hosted the World Cup for the first time.
For the whole tournament, ITV’s team will be based in Manhattan, New York, while the BBC will broadcast from their Manchester studios until the knockout rounds.
So, who will be leading the action for ITV over the next six weeks?
Mark Pougatch, ITV’s chief sports presenter since 2015, will host the Mexico vs. South Africa game. He’ll also cover England’s group matches and any knockout rounds ITV shows.
Laura Woods, TNT Sports’ lead presenter who covers England women’s matches for ITV, will be part of the team too. Her first game will be an early one for UK viewers, Australia vs. Turkey at 5 am on June 14, and she’ll also cover Netherlands vs. Japan.
Semra Hunter, known for her coverage of Spanish football, will present World Cup matches for ITV for the first time. Plus, Adam Richman, host of Man vs Food, will join as a special co-presenter, bringing interesting cultural insights during some games.
The pundits are just as exciting, with Roy Keane, Gary Neville, and Ian Wright all joining the studio for Mexico vs. South Africa. Former managers and players like Ange Postecoglou, Juan Mata, Karen Carney, and Emma Hayes (who recently managed the USWNT against Brazil) will also be part of the expert lineup.
Other well-known voices include Patrick Vieira, Duncan Ferguson, Jobi McAnuff, and Bradley Wright-Phillips. Christina Unkel will join as the referee analyst.
On commentary, Sam Matterface leads the team and has been ITV’s main voice since 2020. Seb Hutchinson, Joe Speight, and Jon Champion will also call games. Lee Dixon will co-commentate with Matterface for all England matches, and Ally McCoist, Lucy Ward, and Andros Townsend will provide additional commentary support.
Presenters
Pundits
Commentators
Co-commentators