England v Croatia on BBC Radio 5 Live: Kelly Cates, John Murray and the full World Cup 2026 commentary line-up
Match date:
England v Croatia at the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off at 9pm BST on Wednesday 17 June at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and UK listeners can follow it live on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and BBC Sport Online in an audio-only broadcast. The BBC’s coverage will be fronted by Kelly Cates, with John Murray on main commentary, Paul Robinson as co-commentator and former England captain Steph Houghton as pundit.[2][4][8]
For viewers, the match is also set to be shown in the UK on ITV1 and ITVX, with Mark Pougatch presenting and Sam Matterface and Lee Dixon on commentary, while Ian Wright, Roy Keane and Gary Neville are listed among the pundits. Gabriel Clarke is scheduled to report from the tournament, continuing ITV’s long-running reputation for live major-tournament football coverage.[2]
The BBC’s audio team brings together some of its most recognisable football voices. Kelly Cates has become one of the BBC’s leading sports presenters through her work across live football and major-event broadcasting, while John Murray is a long-established senior football commentator whose voice is closely associated with BBC Radio 5 Live’s big-match coverage. Paul Robinson, a former England goalkeeper, has moved into broadcasting after his playing career, and Steph Houghton adds recent elite-level perspective from a career that included captaining England and Manchester City.
In the United States, the match is being carried by FOX across its TV and digital platforms, with John Strong on commentary, Stuart Holden as co-commentator, Geoff Shreeves reporting and Mark Clattenburg appearing as the former official. ESPN’s listings also place the game in Arlington, Texas, and confirm FOX coverage for the fixture.[1]
There is further radio coverage on talkSPORT, where Adrian Durham presents, Jim Proudfoot leads commentary, Stuart Pearce joins as co-commentator and Faye Carruthers reports. For listeners in Ireland, RTÉ 2 and RTÉ Player are listed with Joanne Cantwell presenting and Richie Sadlier as pundit.[8]
The match also has a notable world feed line-up: Martin Tyler and Andy Townsend. Tyler is one of the most familiar voices in English football broadcasting, with a career spanning decades at the top level of television commentary, while Townsend is a former Republic of Ireland midfielder who has built a long second career in punditry and co-commentary.
England’s opening World Cup match against Croatia is therefore well served across platforms, but for British audiences wanting an easy live listen, the clearest option is still the BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds audio broadcast. For full TV access, ITV1 and ITVX remain the principal UK viewing options, while USA viewers can follow it via FOX and its associated services.[2][4][8]
BBC World Cup coverage details
Article generated: 17 June 2026, 09:00 GMT