It’s being called the “work from home” World Cup – as far as the BBC is concerned, at least. The national broadcaster has generated tabloid hit pieces and much vociferous online chatter for its decision — which it has claimed is based on legitimate concerns both environmental and budgetary — to remain stationed in Salford for the tournament, rather than hopping across the Atlantic like the bulk of their rivals. On the upside: good for the planet and tax payer’s wallets. On the downside: not so great when the World Cup feels more like watching a third-round Carabao match between Bolton and Stoke.
They’ve made their choice, and the scale of backlash is clearly OTT. But it’s hard to disagree, at least, that the vibe is off. The BBC studio is backdropped by a gigantic LED wall which displays a different skyline based on the location of the evening’s match, which should bring to mind the cutting-edge set tech used to breathe life into the worlds of Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian; instead, it’s giving screensaver a la Windows XP. Rotated Match of the Day hosts Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates are ever reliable, rigorous moderators for mid-match punditry, but they’ve yet to nail the combo of tactical insight and down-the-pub banter once delivered with ease by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards. The latter has remained a staple of the BBC’s coverage thusfar; though it’s hard not to love Big Meeks, he looks less comfortable without his mates to bounce off. Wayne Rooney — to be fair, pretty great. Olivier Giroud pops up with a line or two, but he’s mostly as missing as he was on his worst days at the Emirates. As the French say: Ah, shit.
On the other hand, you’ve got ITV, who are camped out in relatively glamorous gastro-pub-garden-style digs overlooking the Manhattan skyline, the horns of yellow cabs on the streets below invading the feed every other minute. Annoying, sure, but at least it makes their broadcast feel alive. You just can’t beat the authenticity of actually being there, on the ground, in the middle of it all, a stone’s throw away from ecstatic Knicks fans and perma-partying Scots. Having national treasure Ian Wright on the books is a lovability cheat-code. Say what you like about Gary Neville, but he has accrued more miles in the punditry game than an old Fiat, and his command over the couch is second to few. Every withering sigh or peeved eye roll delivered by grumpmaster Roy Keane makes for TV gold. It’s just hard to argue with the appeal of such a familiar, star-studded lineup, nor the pre-baked authority that they bring to the table. You know you’ll have a laugh; that’s an essential draw in a wider media ecosystem populated by chummy podcasts, YouTube hate-watchers and Instagram Reel clippability. You have to feel for the Beeb, but perhaps they were doomed to being outmogged from the start.
There is, of course, a trophy-eared elephant in the room: Gary Lineker, whose very public divorce from the BBC last year has been to their detriment. Once synonymous with the BBC’s football coverage, his absence is felt in every World Cup broadcast. To make matters worse, for the duration of the tournament, he has brought his lucrative podcast The Rest is Football to Netflix for daily, star-studded reaction shows: Shearer is there, Richards beams in via Zoom, and there has been a rotation of guests from Frank Lampard to Joe Cole and, a little bizarrely, former One Directioner Niall Horan. The most recent episode boasted a relatively candid interview with beloved slabhead Harry Maguire for the first time since he was controversially omitted from the England squad. It’s like old school Top Gear with a post-modern lick of paint, the fellas gathering in a cozy setting over glasses of wine to, yes, discuss the games, but mostly excel in the art form known as “taking the piss out of Micah Richards.” They make you feel at home: an impressive blend of BBC-brand legacy punditry and the banterous, sweary style that has come to dominate football coverage in recent years.
