The broadcast timetable for viewing England and Scotland during the group phase of the 2026 World Cup and subsequent stages has been revealed.
BBC Sport and ITV Football hold the exclusive transmission rights for this tournament within the UK, and they will share the matches, encompassing those involving both countries.
During the 2022 finals, over 19 million spectators witnessed the Three Lions’ elimination by France in the quarter-final round.
Given that immense viewership figures are anticipated once more for this event, here is essential information regarding the broadcast choices and viewing methods.
2026 World Cup Broadcast: Group Stage Timetable, Matches, Start Times
Presented here is the broadcasting timetable for the UK to date, listing times in GMT, with several play-off contenders still pending resolution.
June 11: Mexico against South Africa (20:00, ITV)
June 12: South Korea against play-off D (03:00, ITV)
June 12: Canada against play-off A (20:00, BBC)
June 13: USA against Paraguay (02:00, BBC)
June 13: Qatar against Switzerland (20:00, ITV)
June 13: Brazil against Morocco (23:00, BBC)
June 14: Australia against play-off C (05:00, ITV)
June 14: Scotland against Haiti (02.00, BBC)
June 14: Germany against Curacao (18:00, ITV)
June 14: Netherlands against Japan (21:00, ITV)
June 15: Play-off B against Tunisia (03:00, ITV)
June 15: Ivory Coast against Ecuador (00:00, BBC)
June 15: Spain against Cape Verde (17:00, ITV)
June 15: Belgium against Egypt (20:00, BBC)
June 15: Saudi Arabia against Uruguay (23:00, ITV)
June 16: Iran against New Zealand (02:00, BBC)
June 16: France against Senegal (20:00, BBC)
June 16: Play-off 2 against Norway (23:00, BBC)
June 17: Argentina against Algeria (02:00, ITV)
June 17: Austria against Jordan (05:00, BBC)
June 17: Portugal against play-off 1 (18:00, BBC)
June 17: England against Croatia (21:00, ITV)
June 18: Ghana against Panama (00:00, ITV)
June 18: Uzbekistan against Colombia (03:00, BBC)
June 18: South Africa against play-off D (17:00, BBC)
June 18: Play-off A against Switzerland (20:00, ITV)
June 18: Canada against Qatar (23:00, ITV)
June 19: Mexico against South Korea (02:00, BBC)
June 19: USA against Australia (20:00, BBC)
June 19: Scotland against Morocco (23:00, ITV)
June 20: Paraguay against play-off C (05:00, ITV)
June 20: Brazil against Haiti (02:00, ITV)
June 20: Netherlands against play-off B (18:00, BBC)
June 20: Germany against Ivory Coast (21:00, ITV)
June 21: Japan against Tunisia (05:00, BBC)
June 21: Curacao against Ecuador (01:00, BBC)
June 21: Spain against Saudi Arabia (17:00, BBC)
June 21: Belgium against Iran (20:00, ITV)
June 21: Cape Verde against Uruguay (23:00, BBC)
June 22: Egypt against New Zealand (02:00, ITV)
June 22: Argentina against Austria (18:00, BBC)
June 22: France against play-off 2 (22:00, BBC)
June 23: Senegal against Norway (01:00, ITV)
June 23: Algeria against Jordan (04:00, ITV)
June 23: Portugal against Uzbekistan (18:00, ITV)
June 23: England against Ghana (21:00, BBC)
June 24: Croatia against Panama (00:00, BBC)
June 24: Colombia against play-off 1 (03:00, ITV)
June 24: Canada against Switzerland and Play-off A against Qatar (20:00, ITV)
June 24: Scotland against Brazil and Morocco against Haiti (23:00, BBC)
June 25: Mexico against play-off D and South Africa against South Korea (02:00, BBC)
June 25: Germany against Ecuador and Curacao against Ivory Coast (21:00, BBC)
June 26: USA against play-off C and Paraguay against Australia (03:00, ITV)
June 26: Japan against play-off B and Netherlands against Tunisia (00:00, BBC)
June 26: France against Norway and Senegal against play-off 2 (20:00, ITV)
June 27: Cape Verde against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay against Spain (01:00, ITV)
June 27: Egypt against Iran and New Zealand against Belgium (04:00, BBC)
June 27: England against Panama and Croatia against Ghana (22:00, ITV)
June 28: Algeria against Austria and Argentina against Jordan (03:00, BBC)
June 28: Colombia against Portugal and play-off 1 against Uzbekistan (00:30, BBC)
2026 World Cup: England’s Matches on BBC and ITV
England’s initial fixture, facing Croatia, and their third, against Panama, are slated for broadcast on ITV. BBC Sport will air their second game, which is against Ghana.
Any potential matches in the last-32, last-16, and semi-final rounds involving England will be carried by the BBC. A quarter-final encounter, however, would be televised by ITV, with both networks airing the final showdown.
June 17: England against Croatia (21:00, ITV)
June 23: England against Ghana (21:00, BBC)
June 27: England against Panama (22:00, ITV)
Scotland’s World Cup Matches: Broadcast Channels (BBC, ITV)
Scotland’s opening game, opposing Haiti, and their final group stage fixture, against Brazil, are scheduled for the BBC. ITV will broadcast their second match, which is versus Morocco.
Should they advance, Scotland’s last-32, last-16, and semi-final encounters are set to be aired on the BBC. A quarter-final appearance would be shown on ITV, while both channels will carry the ultimate final.
June 14: Scotland against Haiti (02.00, BBC)
June 19: Scotland against Morocco (23:00, ITV)
June 24: Scotland against Brazil (23:00, BBC)
Supporters are able to stream the events through the BBC Sport and ITV websites, as well as the BBC iPlayer and ITVX applications, all of which are accessible across a wide array of devices for mobile viewing.
World Cup Dates: Schedule for 2026
The competition is slated to commence on June 11 and conclude on July 19, 2026.
Qualified Nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The most current compilation of nations that have secured qualification is accessible on FIFA’s official website.
2026 World Cup Groupings
Group A
- Mexico
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Play-off victor: Denmark/Czechia/Republic of Ireland/North Macedonia
Group B
- Canada
- Play-off victor: Italy/Wales/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Northern Ireland
- Qatar
- Switzerland
Group C
- Brazil
- Morocco
- Haiti
- Scotland
Group D
- USA
- Paraguay
- Australia
- Play-off victor: Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo
Group E
- Germany
- Curacao
- Ivory Coast
- Ecuador
Group F
- Netherlands
- Japan
- Play-off victor: Ukraine/Sweden/Poland/Albania
- Tunisia
Group G
- Belgium
- Egypt
- Iran
- New Zealand
Group H
- Spain
- Cape Verde
- Saudi Arabia
- Uruguay
Group I
- France
- Senegal
- Play-off victor: Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname
- Norway
Group J
- Argentina
- Algeria
- Austria
- Jordan
Group K
- Portugal
- Play-off victor: DR Congo/Jamaica/New Caledonia
- Uzbekistan
- Colombia
Group L
- England
- Croatia
- Ghana
- Panama
World Cup Inaugural Match Date
The inaugural fixture will see Mexico compete against South Africa on June 11, held at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Canada is scheduled to participate in its initial game one day subsequent, in Toronto, while the United States will also contend their first match on June 12, facing Paraguay in Los Angeles.
Play-off Schedule
Six positions in the World Cup tournament remain to be determined; four teams from UEFA, alongside two additional teams from the five other confederations, are poised to secure their spots in the final competition.
The UEFA play-off matches and the Inter-confederation qualifiers will commence with semi-final encounters on March 26. The play-off championship games are then set to proceed on March 31, at which point the full roster of participants will be finalized.