Ofcom has received formal requests from the BBC and ITV to broadcast exclusive live coverage of the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2026 and 2030, with the UK regulators provisionally minded to grant consent.
The move ensures that the tournaments will remain free-to-air in the United Kingdom, continuing a long-standing partnership between the public broadcaster and the commercial network.
When are the tournaments being held?
The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
It runs from Thursday, 11 June 2026 to Sunday, 19 July 2026 and marks the first time the tournament has been staged across three countries and expanded to 48 teams, resulting in a total of 104 matches.
The 2030 tournament will be hosted primarily in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, with exact dates still to be confirmed. A small number of centenary matches will also be played in South America.
How will the coverage be split?
For the 2026 World Cup, the BBC and ITV plan to share the matches equally, with each broadcaster airing roughly half of the 104 games. Both channels will simulcast the final.
- BBC coverage: Most matches will be shown live on BBC One or BBC Two. In the event of scheduling clashes, some games may shift to BBC Three or BBC Four. The BBC has also secured rights for live radio coverage.
- ITV coverage: The majority of ITV’s matches will air on ITV and STV, with a smaller number moving to ITV4 where clashes occur.
The broadcasters have indicated they expect to follow a similar sharing arrangement for the 2030 tournament.
Why is Ofcom approval needed?
The FIFA Men’s World Cup Finals are designated as a Group A Listed Event under UK rules. This means that exclusive live television coverage requires Ofcom’s consent to ensure major sporting events remain widely available to the public on free-to-air television.
Ofcom has stated it is provisionally minded to grant consent to both the BBC and ITV, subject to responses from interested parties. Submissions must be received by 17h00 on Thursday, 21 May 2026.
The arrangement builds on the BBC and ITV’s long history of jointly broadcasting the World Cup, dating back decades.
It guarantees that UK viewers, including large diaspora communities and football fans following the tournament, will be able to watch every match live without needing a paid subscription.
The expanded 2026 tournament, with its record number of matches and multi-continent hosting, is expected to draw massive global audiences, and free-to-air access in major markets like the UK remains a key part of making the event accessible.
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