Men’s FIFA World Cup 2022 on the BBC

Published: 11:00 am, 4 November 2022

Wales v England exclusively live on the BBC, alongside England’s opening game and Wales’ crucial tie with Iran.

Unrivalled line-up of home nation experts include Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand, Micah Richards, Alex Scott, Jermaine Jenas, Ashley Williams, Ian Rush, Danny Gabbidon, Dion Dublin, Chris Sutton and Izzy Christiansen.

World Cup winners Jürgen Klinsmann and Gilberto Silva bring their international expertise to the BBC’s coverage alongside Vincent Kompany, Didier Drogba, Laura Georges, Pablo Zabaleta and Mark Schwarzer.

Presenters include Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates .

Coverage of all 64 games available on Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

5 Live’s World Cup Daily podcast available daily on BBC Sounds.

Vast majority of games streaming in UHD on BBC iPlayer.

Two special programmes available on BBC iPlayer – a celebration of Messi, and How to Win the World Cup, featuring interviews from the recently victorious Spain, Germany and France teams.

The wait for the Men’s FIFA World Cup 2022 is nearly over, with the BBC set to bring fans 24/7 access to all the action, analysis and entertainment across TV, iPlayer, Radio, Sounds and Online.

With 33 live games on BBC TV and iPlayer, and coverage of every single game on BBC Radio 5 Live, fans can catch every minute of this winter’s World Cup.

Alongside live match coverage, the BBC will also present an unrivalled offering of documentaries, podcasts and other content throughout the tournament.

Barbara Slater, Director of BBC Sport, says: “For Qatar 2022, the BBC will unite across TV, radio and online to deliver our most comprehensive and holistic World Cup offering yet.

“England’s opener, Wales’ key game against Iran and the huge home nations clash between Wales and England are all exclusively live on the BBC. Our non-stop coverage and content will be brought to viewers and listeners by an unrivalled squad of the best presenters, ex-players and experts. Together, they will offer all football fans the very best insight, commentary, analysis and entertainment.”

JH4

The BBC’s World Cup Squad

Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates will lead coverage across TV, iPlayer and Radio. They will be joined by a host of former greats of the game. In the TV studio, Ex-England stars include Alan Shearer, Rio Ferdinand, Jermaine Jenas, Micah Richards, and Alex Scott with Danny Gabbidon, Ian Rush and Ashley Williams representing Wales. From further afield, Vincent Kompany, Didier Drogba, Laura Georges, Jürgen Klinsmann, Mark Schwarzer, Gilberto Silva and Pablo Zabaleta will bring their unique international insight to our TV coverage.

Kelly Cates will join Mark Chapman in fronting 5 Live’s coverage of every single game from the World Cup. Led by Football Correspondent John Murray, 5 Live’s football team includes Karen Bardsley, Izzy Christiansen, James Collins, Dion Dublin, Rob Green, Jayne Ludlow, Pat Nevin, Micah Richards, Alan Shearer, Chris Sutton, Matthew Upson and Stephen Warnock. Guillem Balagué, Julien Lauren and Tim Vickery will provide expert voices on South America, Europe and the rest of the world.

With you for every minute of the action, the BBC’s team of commentators include Guy Mowbray, Steve Wilson, Jonathan Pearce, Steve Bower, Robyn Cowen, Alistair Bruce Ball, Simon Davies, Ian Dennis, Pien Meulensteen, Conor McNamara, John Murray, Mark Scott and Vicki Sparks.

On co-comms, we have the likes of Karen Bardsley, James Collins, Dion Dublin, Maz Farookhi, Danny Gabbidon, Jermaine Jenas, Martin Keown, Jayne Ludlow, Clinton Morrison, Danny Murphy, Robbie Savage, Peter Schmeichel and Stephen Warnock.

Kelly Somers and Emma Saunders will report on the latest news from inside the England camp for TV news and 5 Live, while Catrin Heledd will report on Wales.

Live match Coverage

The BBC will air 33 live matches on TV and iPlayer across the 28 days of the tournament, while BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will provide coverage of all 64 matches in Qatar. BBC Radio Wales and Radio Cymru will also cover all of Wales’ games. 

Whether you are in the office, working from home, studying at college or out doing your Christmas shopping, BBC Sport Online has you covered.

With live video streaming of BBC Sport’s games and live audio commentary of every match on the BBC Sounds app, fans can follow the drama of all 64 games across any device.

BBC TV & iPlayer coverage kicks off with a mouth-watering week of games, after our exclusive live coverage of the opener between Qatar and Ecuador on Sunday 20 November.

Four of our home nation’s six group stage fixtures are live and exclusive on the BBC, including England’s opening match, Wales’ crucial match against Iran and the big home nation tie between Wales and England.

Other blockbuster games from the groups include Spain v Germany, as well as the first look at champions France, five-time winners Brazil and world number two, Belgium.

For TV and iPlayer, the BBC will have first pick of the Semi-Final stage of the tournament, along with three Round of 16 games, two Quarter Final games and, of course, the World Cup Final on 18 December.

Fans can watch the vast majority of the BBC’s games live in superb Ultra High Definition and High Dynamic Range to enjoy the best picture quality possible – all they’ll need is a compatible UHD TV and a high-speed internet connection.

Highlights of non-live games and selected replayed matches will be available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer throughout the tournament.

Fans will be able to watch highlights of every match and all the goals on TV, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. The BBC Sport website will also be home to our hugely-popular live pages where you can watch clips of all the goals as they go in, as well as the best reaction and punditry after games.

Online

Don’t miss a minute through the BBC Sport App.

Listen anywhere on BBC Sounds.

Watch on the go on BBC iPlayer.

Our industry-leading FIFA World Cup coverage will be available on the BBC Sport app for mobile and tablet and online at bbc.co.uk/football and bbc.co.uk/worldcup

As well as providing audiences with the best live match coverage, highlights, reaction and news, BBC Sport’s digital services will be home to an array of ways to engage with the FIFA World Cup.

Digital & Editorial

Fancy yourself as a national team boss? England and Wales supporters will be able to pick their preferred starting line-ups for each game via the BBC Sport website and app, easily comparing and sharing via social media.

Fans will also have the opportunity to rate every player out of 10 for every FIFA World Cup match through an interactive second-screen experience on the BBC Sport app. Submit and share your ratings with friends and see what the rest of the world thinks. BBC Sport will use the ratings to help pick our Team of the Tournament.

More brand new digital content will be announced in the build up to the World Cup.

Throughout the tournament, there will be an array of high-quality content to read and watch before and during the FIFA World Cup.

As well as match previews, reports, reaction and breaking news, other editorial highlights include:

Jurgen Klinsmann’s Daily Newsletter – World Cup winner Jurgen Klinsmann will keep you across everything that is happening in Qatar with his daily email newsletter from BBC Sport.

Into Qatar: A journey to explore a nation’s relationship with football – The world of football was astonished when Qatar was selected to host the 2022 tournament amid corruption allegations and human rights issues. On 16 November, BBC Sport goes under the skin of football in Qatar to tell the story of the sport in Qatar and what hosting a World Cup means to the local population.

How do you win a FIFA World Cup? – It’s one of the most difficult tournaments to win in world sport but Brazil have won it five times. We look at five ways to win the prized golden trophy.

Vintage video – BBC Sport will dip into the archives to relive some of the most iconic moments and matches in previous FIFA World Cups.

Predictions – Radio 5 Live’s Chris Sutton will predict the outcome of every game in Qatar. You can follow how he gets on for every round of matches. We’ll also ask you to try to predict the winner of the Golden Boot for being top scorer.

Ahead of and throughout the tournament, platforms like BBC News Online, BBC Wales News and Cymru Fyw will have all the daily updates from Qatar on England and Wales, as well as features with players, families and the fans. There will be news coverage of all the games and major events in England and Wales, including the squad announcement.

Elsewhere, exclusively on BBC Sounds, World Cup Ballers will see some of football’s biggest stars go back to back with some of the BBC’s biggest DJs, forming a special music mix. Listeners will hear combinations such as Danny Howard and England Keeper Jordan Pickford, Jack Saunders and Wales Striker Kieffer Moore, and more.

Also only on BBC Sounds, listeners can enjoy hours of uninterrupted World Cup content just by pressing play on ‘All Day Football’ at the top of the podcast page.

Social Media

The BBC will showcase all the must-see moments on social media, including more behind-the-scenes content from your favourite Match of the Day pundits than ever before on Instagram and TikTok.

BBC Sport’s YouTube channel will feature highlights of every game, while Facebook will deliver a mix of news stories, imagery and video – including match action – to our followers. Twitter will be the best place to tune in for in-play updates and breaking news.

5 Live Sport and BBC Sport Wales socials will be home to bespoke digital content straight from within the England and Wales camps.

We’ve also got you covered with vertical video. All the best action from the matches – as well as the lighter side of the FIFA World Cup – will be delivered via Instagram Reels and TikTok.

Podcasts and Radio Programming

BBC Radio 5 Live

Away from live commentaries and match coverage, look no further than 5 Live and BBC Sounds for your daily, go-to World Cup content.

The UKs most comprehensive and entertaining World Cup podcast, 5 Live’s World Cup Daily will be available every single day of Qatar 2022 on BBC Sounds. Launching on 14 November, the podcast will be your daily dose of World Cup analysis, debate and news. With reporters in both the England and Wales camps, World Cup Daily will bring fans closer to the players, coaches and managers throughout the tournament.

From 14 November, Match of the Day Top 10 returns for a brand new series. Join Gary Lineker, Micah Richards and Alan Shearer as they focus on the biggest tournament of all… the World Cup. Throughout the series, they will discuss the greatest goals, the most shocking moments and the biggest upsets. Fans can listen on BBC Sounds or watch on BBC iPlayer. Episodes will drop daily between 14-23 November.

BBC Radio Wales

BBC Radio Wales will be the home of former Wales skipper Ashley Williams who will be hosting a special phone-in show during the tournament, while Rob Phillips will host his popular post-match programme. Wales Women star Jess Fishlock will also be joining the team providing live coverage.

There will be broadcasts from the Gŵyl Cymru/Bucket Hat Tour, as well as from the Wrexham Festival of Football and during the Urdd Jamboree, Radio Wales will welcome 100,000 children for a World Cup Singalong.

Eleri Sion will present a football-themed Afternoon Show and All Things Considered will have a football and ethics special. Meanwhile the Feast of Football podcast will have daily episodes from Qatar presented by Simon Davies.

Three new programmes have been commissioned that will be available to listen to:

Robbie’s Road to the World Cup… 1958 – Former Wales international Robert Earnshaw details the incredible story of Wales’ last appearance at the World Cup in Sweden in 1958. As well as charting the team’s journey, he speaks to the four surviving members of the squad – Terry Medwin, Cliff Jones, Trevor Edwards and George Baker.

Building the Red Wall – The Red Wall is the pride and joy of Welsh football with a  fan culture like no other. Presented by Cerys Matthews, this two-part series is the story of the fans who have built that mighty Red Wall brick by brick over the last 20 years.

Dafydd Iwan – Yma o Hyd – Huw Stephens asks how a nationalist folk song from the 80s has been resurrected as the anthem that’ll accompany the Welsh football side to the World Cup.

Radio Cymru and Radio Cymru 2

BBC Radio Cymru will have live coverage of all of Wales’ group games and will be broadcasting live from the Gŵyl Cymru Tour during the tournament.

Additionally, there will be an array of Content for audiences to listen to live and on-demand on BBC Sounds:

Pontio – Presented by comedian Tudur Owen, this musical celebration of Wales’ footballing success will be led by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales who will performing terrace favourites and unofficial anthems.

Benbaladr – Presenter Alun Thomas guides us through a one-off World Cup special of Benbaladr, sharing stories that don’t always make the headlines. Alun will be exploring varied issues, as well as the way of life in Qatar. 

Talwrn o Saith Seren, Wrecsam – Two teams of football fanatic bards compete in a special edition of Y Talwrn, recorded in the Festival of Football in Wrexham

QatAr y Marc – Following each Wales games, the station will have a special phone-in edition of the popular footballing strand Ar Y Marc.

Carl ac Alun – Football crazy Carl ac Alun brings the latest news from the Welsh team and all the excitement from Qatar in the build-up to the Wales games.

Taith-Gwyl Cymru Aled Hughes – in a series of OBs, Aled takes his morning radio show on the road, visiting various Gwyl Cymru locations.

Corridor Ansicrwydd – A daily podcast throughout the tournament.

Cyhoeddiad y Sgwad – BBC Radio Cymru will broadcast live from Tylorstown as Rob Page announces his squad for Qatar.

TV Documentaries and Additional Programming

Two BBC Sport documentaries will accompany build-up to the start of the World Cup.

The first, already available on BBC iPlayer, is Messi. Ahead of what is expected to be his World Cup farewell, this wide-reaching documentary digs deep to gain a detailed understanding of the real Lionel Messi, including incredible footage of the Argentinean superstar as a child prodigy – it is Messi as you’ve never seen him before. The documentary, which will feature interviews with Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Mascherano, Hernan Crespo and Rio Ferdinand, will air on BBC One on Saturday 19November at 10.55pm.

Dropping on BBC iPlayer on Friday 4 November, How To Win The World Cup will take the viewer deep into the dressing room to hear incredible tales from the past three World Cup-winning teams, France (2018), Germany (2014) and Spain (2010). This is the inside story of how to lift the most famous trophy in the world, told by tournament winners including Germany’s Manuel Neuer, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Per Mertesacker and Jurgen Klinsmann, Spain’s Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas and France’s Olivier Giroud and Marcel Desailly. The programme will air on BBC One at 10.30pm on Sunday 20 November.

As Wales prepare for their first World Cup in 64 years, Welsh football fans will be treated to a variety of new series and programmes launching in the build-up to, and during, the World Cup.

All of the following programmes will be available on BBC iPlayer or broadcast on BBC One Wales:

Together Stronger – A landmark series charting the tumultuous and transformational 18-year period that took Wales from the depths of despair to their first World Cup in 64 years. When Toshack took over as Wales manager in 2004, he made the crucial decision to start again with a talented pool of teenagers and new caps. 18 years and four managers later, four of those – Bale, Ramsey, Allen and Hennessey – have propelled Wales from 117th in the world to a dream place at Qatar 2022, their first World Cup in 64 years.

Late Night Football Club – A late-night entertainment and music series fused together with football and presented by former Wales international Robbie Savage and broadcaster Polly James, along with film producer and football fanatic Jonny Owen. A fun and cheeky programme recorded in front of an audience of football fans, each episode will line up star guests to talk about all things football and will be packed with segments and challenges.

Legends of Welsh Sport: Neville Southall – Number One – This is the story of a football icon like no other, the story of a binman, who became a legend, Neville Southall.

Legends of Welsh Sport: Toshack – Football Maverick – A nostalgic film celebrating the remarkable career of Welsh football legend John Toshack.

Legends of Welsh Sport: Robbie Page – History Maker – This is the remarkable story of the boy from Tylorstown who would change the fortunes of Welsh football forever.Rhondda boy Robert Page will be the first Wales manager to qualify for a World Cup since 1958 but little is known about the quiet stand-in manager who ‘fluked” his way to the top job.

Match of the Day Wales Special: World Cup Squad Announcement – A Match of the Day Wales Special live from Robert Page’s hometown in the Rhondda where the Wales squad will be announced. The programme, filmed in Tylorstown, will capture the day’s events culminating in a live broadcast of the announcement.

Match of the Day Wales: Road to Qatar – Join the Match of the Day Wales team for a very special preview programme as they kick off build up to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Find out everything you need to know as Wales prepare for the biggest sporting event of the year.

Newyddion S4C and Wales Today will also be live from Qatar with special programmes throughout the tournament.

Group stage TV schedule

Date

Kick Off

Match

Broadcaster

20 November

4pm

Qatar v Ecuador

BBC One

21 November

1pm

England v Iran

BBC One

4pm

Senegal v Netherlands

ITV

7pm

USA v Wales

ITV

22 November

10am

Argentina v Saudi Arabia

ITV

1pm

Denmark v Tunisia

ITV

4pm

Mexico v Poland

BBC One

7pm

France v Australia

BBC One

23 November

10am

Morocco v Croatia

ITV

1pm

Germany v Japan

ITV

4pm

Spain v Costa Rica

ITV

7pm

Belgium v Canada

BBC One

24 November

10am

Switzerland v Cameroon

ITV

1pm

Uruguay v South Korea

BBC One

4pm

Portugal v Ghana

ITV

7pm

Brazil v Serbia

BBC One

25 November

10am

Wales v Iran

BBC One

1pm

Qatar v Senegal

BBC One

4pm

Netherlands v Ecuador

ITV

7pm

England v USA

ITV

26 November

10am

Tunisia v Australia

BBC One

1pm

Poland v Saudi Arabia

ITV

4pm

France v Denmark

ITV

7pm

Argentina v Mexico

ITV

27 November

10am

Japan v Costa Rica

ITV

1pm

Belgium v Morocco

BBC One

4pm

Croatia v Canada

BBC One

7pm

Spain v Germany

BBC One

28 November

10am

Cameroon v Serbia

ITV

1pm

South Korea v Ghana

BBC One

4pm

Brazil v Switzerland

ITV

7pm

Portugal v Uruguay

ITV

29 November

3pm

Ecuador v Senegal

ITV

3pm

Netherlands v Qatar

ITV

7pm

Iran v USA

BBC Two

7pm

Wales v England

BBC One

30 November

3pm

Tunisia v France

BBC One

3pm

Australia v Denmark

BBC Two

7pm

Poland v Argentina

BBC One

7pm

Saudi Arabia v Mexico

BBC Two

1 December

3pm

Canada v Morocco

BBC Two

3pm

Croatia v Belgium

BBC One

7pm

Japan v Spain

ITV

7pm

Costa Rica v Germany

ITV

2 December

3pm

Ghana v Uruguay

BBC One

3pm

South Korea v Portugal

BBC Two

7pm

Serbia v Switzerland

ITV

7pm

Cameroon v Brazil

ITV