World Cup 2026 on TV: Jude Bellingham and England star on biggest of Saturday nights

ITV were absolutely chomping at the bit to get at England again, after the BBC showed their knockout victories over DR Congo and Mexico.

I'm old enough to remember when Saturday nights had a genuine cachet. The big entertainment night of the week.

I don't think they have quite such a prized status in our lives anymore, but still, ITV had a genuine event on their hands with live coverage of England's quarter-final clash with Norway in boiling hot Miami.

I did chuckle when a couple of voices on social media suggested that ITV were now taunting the BBC when Mark Pougatch, Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright were seen at the start of the broadcast perched on the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center.

The aim was to recreate the famous Lunch Atop a Skyscraper photograph, taken in 1932. The effect was obvious, with the skyscrapers and Central Park in the background giving us all yet more dramatic New York views.

Messrs Keane and Wright said they were "not too bad" with the height, but didn't sound totally convincing. Neville and Pougatch were more honest altogether about being out of their comfort zone.

This segment was filmed earlier in the week, with the team back in the more familiar setting of their Brooklyn studio as the game drew closer.

ITV's lead commentator Sam Matterface, who to put it politely is something of a Marmite figure, left nobody in any doubt who England's man of the moment is when he described their equaliser.

"Here is Bellingham. Still Jude Bellingham. Jude Bellingham! Of course it is. So many times he has turned up in the biggest of moments, and once again he's delivered for England. You can say what you want. But this World Cup is fast becoming the Jude Bellingham show, and we're here for it."

When Bellingham scored England's winner in extra-time, Matterface had a nice line up his sleeve when he said: "The roof goes off the entire country."

It's high time I praised the work of Gabriel Clarke in these columns. He has consistently been one of the best journalists on ITV's sports coverage for decades, and you can rely on him to ask the right questions of the stars.

England boss Thomas Tuchel was highly critical of his team's performance, despite their victory, something Clarke was happy to relay to Bellingham just minutes later.

It gave us one of the most eye-opening moments of the night when a clearly peeved Bellingham said: "Yeah well, whatever. It's difficult out there, it's a tough shift. My thoughts and appreciation goes to the players who were out there and put in a great shift yet again."

Plenty of reporters wouldn't have put the Tuchel comments to Bellingham. Clarke is pure old school, and elicited a very telling reaction out of the England superstar.

ITV followed the BBC in failing the Dougie Donnelly Test - for an explanation check last week's column - as the team nattered throughout England fans singing Wonderwall.

Pougatch, who is overall a brilliant anchorman, actually said: "I hope you can hear them singing Wonderwall at home, I don't know if you can, but that's what they're doing."

Of course we can't hear it properly, Mark. You're all talking.

Anyway, onto the next. Coverage eventually finished so late on ITV - at nearly 1.30am - that plenty of viewers will have been tempted to stay with the channel for Lionel Messi and Argentina, as they battled to see off Switzerland.

Who needs sleep anyway? Not any of us this summer seemingly.

Rooney is decent, but could go out on a limb more

The BBC said goodbye to their Salford studio with coverage of the Spain v Belgium quarter-final on Friday night.

My eyebrows did raise a little when Wayne Rooney said before the game, "For me the competition starts now." I'm all for the business ends of events, but at this stage it feels like the party is almost over.

There are times when I wish Rooney would go out on a limb more as a pundit - he's still liable to play it safe and be too guarded for me - but I do think he's getting there, as he showed again on Friday.

At half-time, Rooney said: "It is crazy defending from Belgium. We did it at United against Barcelona in 2009 (in the European Cup final) and we got popped all over the place."

When Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens made a late mistake that handed Spain's Mikel Merino a winning goal, Rooney fought against his instincts as he said: "It's clearly a mistake, as much as I'd like to try and defend it, it's a mistake."

I do think Rooney is a decent presence on television now, even if I'm not totally convinced the BBC are getting maximum return for their investment in him.

My mind goes back to how prosaic Alan Shearer could be in his early years as a pundit. Now, Shearer is one of football's top voices.

These things don't always happen overnight.

BBC heading Stateside for England showdown with Argentina

The BBC coverage will come from across the pond when England play Argentina in a blockbuster World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.

I did offer a guarantee in my first column of the tournament a month ago that BBC presenters would be in North America for the latter stages.

There was some talk initially that it would be from the quarter-finals onwards. That would have mirrored the pattern of the 2002 World Cup.

Gary Lineker presented from a studio at home that summer, before going to Japan for the quarter-final between England and Brazil and then staying in the country for the climax of the tournament.

But it seems like a common sense move to me to wait this time. The BBC only had one of the quarter-finals - and not England - so it's logical to keep their powder dry for a night of real gravitas on Wednesday.

More Nick Metcalfe analysis of World Cup TV

• That really was The Longest Night
• Steve Clarke should have shown more respect
• Brilliant Emma Hayes a real asset to ITV
• BBC damned if they do, damned if they don't

More World Cup content from Sporting Life

• FREE World Cup wallchart
• Fixtures, results and live scores
• World Cup 2026: All you need to know

Outright previews

• World Cup outright
• Golden Boot
• Golden Ball
• Special bets

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.