The eyes of the sporting world are on Brazil as the 2014 FIFA World Cup finally begins on June 12 and you can watch all 64 matches live on the BBC and ITV this summer.
With 32 teams and around 750 players heading to Brazil for the game’s greatest showpiece this summer, football fever will grip the globe as millions tune in to watch 64 matches which will determine who will come away as world champions.
After years of fretting about stadiums not being ready, mass protests and crime scare stories, we can finally get excited about the tournament itself and enjoy four weeks of action in the most iconic footballing nation on the planet.
Proceedings get under way with live coverage of the opening ceremony on Thursday, June 12 from the Arena de Sao Paulo followed by the match between tournament hosts Brazil and Croatia.
As hosts and favourites to win the World Cup, it’s going to be hard to ignore Brazil and anything other than victory will be seen as a failure for a nation that has already won the trophy on five occasions.
The Selecao last lifted the cup in Korea/Japan 2002 under manager Luiz Felipe Scolari and ‘Big Phil’, as he is affectionately known, is back at the helm and he will be the leading man in what is sure to be a gripping ride for the host nation.
Spain, the holders, will not easily relinquish the trophy they won at South Africa 2010 and although key members of the squad are ageing, the likes of midfield duo Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta remain among the best in the business.
Their tika-taka possession-based style is seen as metronomic and dull by some critics, but it is certainly effective as they have won their last three major championships at Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012.
Expectations are low for England, but Roy Hodgson’s team came through qualifying unbeaten and scored 30 goals, a tally only bettered by the Netherlands and Germany.
Despite going through the entire qualifying campaign undefeated, England supporters were left sweating on whether or not the team was going to qualify for the 2014 showpiece right up until the final two games, with the Three Lions stuttering through their early matches.
For the first time in many a major tournament, the hyperbole about England potentially lifting the trophy has been somewhat absent this time around as the ‘Golden Generation’ are ushered out, but the stage is set for the younger players coming in to make their mark on the world stage.
No matter the outcome, the 2014 FIFA World Cup promises to be a spectacular carnival of international football and the BBC and ITV will deliver UK viewers every kick, pass, shot and save direct from Brazil as the long-awaited tournament finally begins.
Read SOTB’s complete TV guide to the 2014 FIFA World Cup below:
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FIFA.com STADIA GROUPS RESULTS TV SCHEDULE
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All 64 matches from the 2014 FIFA World Cup will be broadcast live on terrestrial television, giving football fans across the UK the chance to see all 32 teams in action with no additional subscription required.
The BBC and ITV have shared live coverage of every FIFA World Cup since England hosted the competition in 1966 and this tradition will continue for the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
Click on the logos below to find out more about each channel’s coverage plans: .
The division of live matches between the BBC and ITV for major tournaments is always a topic of strong debate following the initial group stage draw.
Both broadcaster’s announced the results of their negotiations in the days after the draw and the match picks for both broadcasters during the group stages and knockout phase for Brazil 2014 is as follows:
GROUP STAGES: ITV will show the opening match between hosts Brazil and Croatia on June 12, while the BBC begins its live coverage with the defending champions Spain against the Netherlands, in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup final, on June 13.
As in the last two World Cups in Germany and South Africa, two of England’s three group games will be broadcast exclusively live on ITV.
The BBC will show England’s first group match against Italy as Roy Hodgson’s side kick off their campaign in the Amazonian city of Manaus.
ITV will then show England’s next two games against Uruguay on June 19 and the potentially decisive final group game against Costa Rica on June 24.
The commercial broadcaster, which had first pick of England’s games for this tournament under an agreement between the two channels, has opted to secure two of England’s group games to ensure bumper audiences for advertisers, bearing in mind the potential difficulty of Roy Hodgson’s team making it into the knockout phase due to their tough group.
Despite the late kick-off time of 11.00pm, England’s clash with Italy is still likely to attract a sizable audience for the BBC as it will be held on a Saturday night, while the corporation also has other blue-riband matches including Spain against the Netherlands.
KNOCKOUT STAGES: The BBC will have first pick of the last 16 and semi finals clashes, while ITV has first pick of the quarter finals.
Should England progress into the knockout stages, the BBC will choose to screen the Three Lions’ last 16 clash exclusively live for the third World Cup running, though a potential quarter-final encounter would be shown by ITV.
The BBC have appeared to play safe in its match choices in the knockout stages by choosing England’s possible last 16 clash, against possibly Greece or Colombia, in preference to a potential mouthwatering clash between England and hosts Brazil in the quarter-finals.
If that scenario materialises, the clash is likely to be ITV’s most lucrative football match in its history and could possibly surpass the 24m audience figure it achieved for the England v Argentina encounter at in the 1998 World Cup in France.
FINAL: The showpiece final to be staged at the iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on July 13 will both be broadcast live on BBC One and ITV, while the 3rd place play-off the day before will be shown, as in 2010, by ITV.
Visit SOTB’s dedicated World Cup page for a full rundown of all live TV games
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DAY 1: Thursday 12th June
DAY 2: Friday 13th June
DAY 3: Saturday 14th June
DAY 4: Sunday 15th June
DAY 5: Monday 16th June
DAY 6: Tuesday 17th June
DAY 7: Wednesday 18th June
DAY 8: Thursday 19th June
DAY 9: Friday 20th June
DAY 10: Saturday 21st June
DAY 11: Sunday 22nd June
DAY 12: Monday 23rd June
DAY 13: Tuesday 24th June
DAY 14: Wednesday 25th June
DAY 15: Thursday 26th June
DAY 16: Saturday 28th June – Last 16
DAY 17: Sunday 29th June – Last 16
DAY 18: Monday 30th June – Last 16
DAY 19: Tuesday 1st July – Last 16
DAY 20: Friday 4th July – Quarter Finals
DAY 21: Saturday 5th July – Quarter Finals
DAY 22-23: July 8-9 – Semi Finals
DAY 24-25: July 12-13 – 3rd Place Play-off & FINAL
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MEET BBC SPORT’S 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP TEAM
BBC Sport will be bring fans comprehensive TV coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup with its usual mix of live action, nightly highlights, analysis and reports throughout the tournament.
With 31 live matches on TV and over 160 hours of programming, including highlights and match replays across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Red Button, plus catch-up via BBC iPlayer, the corporation is providing over 50% more coverage for Brazil 2014 compared to the last World Cup in 2010.
Gary Lineker leads BBC TV’s presenting team for the fourth straight World Cup, hosting the majority of the live matches on BBC One, Mark Chapman will also present several live games as well as the breakfast highlights shows every morning on BBC Two, while Dan Walker will host 10 special editions of Football Focus during the tournament.
Presenting from FIFA’s International Broadcast Centre with a backdrop of Rio de Janiero’s famous Copacabana Beach, they will be joined by a variety of star names in the BBC studio, including former England captain Rio Ferdinand, France legend and World Cup winner Thierry Henry, former Dutch international and current AC Milan coach Clarence Seedorf, ex-Northern Ireland midfielder Neil Lennon and former Brazil and Middlesbrough star Juninho.
They will all work as expert pundits alongside BBC regulars and former internationals including Alan Shearer, Robbie Savage, Danny Murphy and Phil Neville, with the latter three will also being on co-commentary duties, as will Mark Lawrenson, Martin Keown and Kevin Kilbane.
Alan Hansen will again be part of the BBC’s World Cup team, but the tournament marks his last major tournament as a BBC pundit before he retires from his Match Of The Day role after 22 years.
Leading the BBC’s roster of commentators will be Guy Mowbray, who will call all the BBC’s live England games as well as the final, with Steve Wilson, Jonathan Pearce, Simon Brotherton and Steve Bower making up the rest of the team.
Gabby Logan will based with the England team during the competition, bringing all the news and reports from their camp in Rio, while Jason Mohammad will be the BBC’s roving reporter throughout the tournament with all the news, stories and atmosphere in Brazil.
Alongside live games and morning highlights shows, every night after midnight BBC Two will show a full match replay of the best game of the day.
All BBC network TV World Cup programming will be available to watch in high-definition on their respective HD channels, as well as online via catch-up service BBC iPlayer.
Introducing every BBC World Cup show during the 2014 tournament will be ‘Another Star’ by Stevie Wonder, which will be the corporation’s signature theme tune during the event. The song, with its infectious Latin American vibe, will be used for the BBC’s opening titles sequence and viewers will get a first glimpse by watching the preview show on June 11.
Online – bbc.co.uk/worldcup – will be the go to destination for fans looking for enhanced live coverage, every single goal, expert analysis, breaking news, exclusive content and interactive features, all available across any device at any time – PC, tablet, mobile and connected TV.
BBC Sport will also offer a range of social media activities and content across its Facebook, Google+, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
CLICK HERE for further details about BBC Sport’s 2014 World Cup coverage
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MEET ITV SPORT’S 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP TEAM
ITV Sport will bring viewers a carnival of football with all the action, drama, colour and atmosphere from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
In total, the broadcaster will air 34 live games during the competition on ITV and ITV4, including 20 matches from the group stages, and its coverage kicks off with the opening ceremony at the newly-built Arena de Sao Paulo before the opening games between favourites Brazil taking on Croatia in the first match.
ITV will have a studio base in Rio de Janeiro to bring home to viewers the impact of the tournament from one of Brazil’s iconic cities, but its on-air team will criss cross the vast expanse of the country to deliver build-up, live coverage and analysis of some games from in and around the stadia in the various tournament locations to give viewers a taste of the rich diversity of the country.
The channel has signed up on-screen line-up packed with some of football’s biggest names ready for kick-off in Brazil, anchored by lead presenter Adrian Chiles.
Joining him on the plane to Brazil to lend their experience and expertise to ITV’s coverage will be former World Cup winners Patrick Vieira and Fabio Cannavaro, Sunderland manager and former Uruguay international Gus Poyet and Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill.
Also on the team are former England international Ian Wright, ex-Arsenal defender and ITV pundit Lee Dixon, former England manager Glenn Hoddle, Scotland manager Gordon Strachan and Andros Townsend, star of England’s World Cup qualifying run, whose bid to play at the tournament was sadly ended through injury.
Roy Keane, who was due to be part of ITV’s World Cup team in Brazil, decided to pull out from the role at the 11th hour, opting instead to focus on his coaching ambitions.
ITV’s reporting team will be spearheaded by the award-winning Gabriel Clarke, who will be based inside the England camp for the duration of the tournament, while Matt Smith will combine presenting duties on selected live games with a reporting role at various grounds.
Clive Tyldesley leads ITV’s roster of commentators for the fourth successive World Cup, joined by Sam Matterface, who makes his major tournament debut for the channel, Joe Speight and Gary Bloom, while Andy Townsend and Clarke Carlisle will be on co-commentary duties, as will Lee Dixon.
Unlike previous tournaments, there will be no daily ITV highlights show, however the goals from the non-live ITV games will be shown as part of the channel’s extended build-up in its following live matches, with all 5.00pm kick-offs and England games on ITV being allocated a full one-hour build-up.
Fans will be able to catch-up on ITV’s coverage at any time via ITV Player with all live matches streamed on itv.com and available on demand.
ITV’s World Cup website – itv.com/worldcup – will bring Brazil to life on all devices, particularly for mobile and tablet users, with content including highlights packages of all 64 matches, in-match video clips, all the latest news, extra analysis from ITV pundits and live statistics.
In addition, comedian Alan Davies will host a special ITV World Cup podcast throughout the tournament, available for free on iTunes and ITV.com.
ITV Sport’s coverage will also widely incorporate the use of social media via its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.
CLICK HERE for further details about ITV Sport’s 2014 World Cup coverage
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Here is a full list of all confirmed 2014 World Cup programming on the BBC and ITV during the tournament.
For more detailed listings of each day’s matches, scroll up and click on SOTB’s World Cup Watch daily TV guides.
All TV times below are subject to change.
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| PRE-TOURNAMENT |
10.35pm-11.35pm BBC One Wednesday 11th June Match of the Day Live: World Cup Preview 10.35pm-11.25pm BBC One
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| GROUP STAGES |
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