The battle has played out in Qatar and across our screens, intensifying since the opening match between the host country and Ecuador four long weeks ago. It will end on Sunday with the World Cup final, as one of Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe delivers a career-defining victory for Argentina or France. It has all been a phoney war, though, for the real contest has also taken place across our screens but away from the pitch, building up to the moment where the nation must finally answer this crucial question: BBC or ITV?
Like Argentina and France, the BBC and ITV are the opponents who have been kept apart until the final, and whose performances thus far will inform our decision on which side to choose. Certainly, this has been a unique World Cup to present and both the BBC and ITV struck the right tone since their opening coverage, addressing Qatar’s human rights abuses and examining the issues that have made this World Cup so controversial. Sunday’s final will be another opportunity to highlight what is really important.
Until then, we can reflect upon a tournament where the BBC and ITV informed and infuriated in equal measure. This, after all, is what is at stake when you are a broadcaster. The right, or wrong, combination of commentators and pundits can make all the difference when the early thrill of the World Cup begins to feel like a grind during the second of back-to-back goalless draws. By the knockout stages, a smooth and steady presence paired with a punchy and powerful contributor can elevate the drama immensely.
ITV have probably been bolder in their attempts to figure out that combination, although they have also repeatedly thrown together their cohort of angry football dads - Roy Keane, Graeme Souness and Gary Neville - while attempting to create controversy when there was none to be found. Perhaps we should have known what was coming when Keane and Souness had already kicked off by the third day of the tournament, with Souness warning Keane that he “would learn a lot more if he listened rather than talk all the time” amid the same tired tension of two uncles arguing at a family barbeque.
It wasn’t a great start and there were also occasions when ITV’s coverage appeared to slip down a rabbit hole leading towards wild conspiracy theories. “Show us the pictures!” Souness pleaded after Japan’s second goal against Spain was determined by VAR to have stayed in play. “You’d think there’s something untoward going on. It has to be,” Souness added, getting alarmingly close to holding up a black-and-white picture of the Apollo 11 mission and asking how the American flag can possibly be waving when there’s no air on the moon.
It was all quite bizarre, just like when Keane, Neville and Ian Wright ganged up on Peter Walton for pointing out that the decision to award Argentina a penalty against Croatia was obviously correct. Let’s bring in Peter Walton: “It was a foul,” Walton said. “It wasn’t a foul,” Wright replied. Now let’s ignore Peter Walton. At one point, the ITV pundits appeared to be on the brink of storming into his VAR cupboard and snatching away his computer.
Away from ITV’s world of firm, but often too firm, opinions, in the booth Sam Matterface has remained the channel’s lead commentator and continued to plod along, unmoved by public opinion and very much the Harry Maguire of the show. But in the hearts of the people ITV’s B-Team is their A-Team, and the Jon Champion-Ally McCoist axis has worked its magic at a major tournament once again.
After being set free in Russia, leading to the retelling of Ivan the Terrible’s Siege of Kazan in 1552, McCoist has been rather more restrained in Doha. It did, though, give us the immortal words “desalination plant” as well as some moments of McCoist truly being in his pomp, particularly when he purred in delight during Brazil’s magnificent destruction of South Korea.
His standing has even led to a mid-tournament tweak from ITV, with McCoist joining Matterface and Lee Dixon for the semi-final between Argentina and Croatia. This was ITV releasing the handbrake and giving the people what they wanted, like Gareth Southgate adding Jude Bellingham to a midfield pair of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips.
The BBC’s problem has been that they can only dream of being as flexible. While they have perhaps had the edge over ITV in the studio, the BBC struggle with overfamiliarity in its commentary. There is not only an absence of spice in their offering of Danny Murphy, Jermaine Jenas, Martin Keown and Dion Dublin, but there is also very little to separate commentary of what is the biggest sporting event of the year to a FA Cup fifth-round tie between Millwall and Sunderland, or a One Show segment on the merits of rewilding your back garden. In a tired mind, it all blends into one. Alan Shearer’s commentary appearance was a breath of fresh air and showed what could be achieved.
Until that day, Guy Mowbray and Steve Wilson are like the reliable and tidy centre midfielders you never notice - even though they’ve been around forever, it still feels like you need to concentrate really hard in order to tell their voices apart. Jonathan Pearce requires no such introduction and landed the match of the tournament in Argentina vs Netherlands, a combination which got more and more perfect as the quarter-final began to spill out of control and his voice strained. Unfortunately, Pearce said the brawl between the teams “spoiled the occasion”, which was very, very wrong and is not what my licence fee should be going towards.
In the BBC studio, it remained the case that the fresh faces stood out from the familiar pundits. Pablo Zabaleta had an excellent tournament as he guided viewers through the emotions of Argentina and Messi’s last World Cup. Vincent Kompany was still a welcome presence despite his move into management, which led to an amusing line about his Burnley team not signing Cristiano Ronaldo. Mauricio Pochettino was the most exciting addition but perhaps did not live up to expectations, although he managed to not offend a whole country, which is more than you can say about Jurgen Klinsmann and his comments on Iran.
The gender balance is improving, but only in moments. ITV featured an all-female broadcast team for the first time at the World Cup with presenter Seema Jaswal hosting alongside former England internationals Karen Carney and Eni Aluko for the match between Saudi Arabia and Poland. Crucially, though, the balance goes missing when it comes to England or the other ‘big matches’, and where the female pundits find themselves back at pitchside.
Other notable moments from ITV included perhaps the most poignant moment of their World Cup coverage, in which the former Denmark international Nadia Nadim returned to the studio just days after her mother’s sudden and tragic death. It was handled sensitively and with real compassion from host Laura Woods and former Netherlands international Nigel de Jong - who despite his last act on the pitch at the World Cup being his kung-fu kick into the chest of Xabi Alonso, seems to be one of the nicest people going.
Elsewhere, Hal Robson-Kanu brought some suave touches, John Hartson’s giddy excitement at Denmark’s goalless draw against Tunisia is my only recollection of the slew of early 0-0s in the group stage, while Andros Townsend and Seb Hutchinson were the breakout pair of the tournament and were unfortunate to come home before the knockout stages. As was Clive Tyldesley, who made sure to point out he was coming home from the World Cup before England for the first time.
Which brings us to the final. ITV kick off their coverage of the big day at 1:30pm, while the BBC start at 1:50pm. Make of that what you will. ITV’s opening credits are better, although that is mostly due to the aberration that is the BBC’s and their grinding loops of ‘here we, here we, here we, go!’ ITV have probably shaded this battle overall, too. That said, the BBC will still win the war on viewing figures. They always do, even without McCoist.
