2026 FIFA World Cup: BBC score yet another own goal, as The Rest is Football stars on Netflix at the World Cup

Content is King, and something else just as important is Perception.

On Wednesday ITV presented their first show from their New York studio, and wow it was magnificent. The backdrop is possibly the greatest of any sports studio outside of Augusta National or the Old Course in St Andrews. The Manhattan Skyline, the Brooklyn Bridge, the East River and the Statue of Liberty all there to distract from the utterly draining punditry of Roy Keane and co 😂. All joking aside the ITV coverage of the World Cup will be spectacular and authentic, and crucially, they are there. It matters that they are there, because it shows the viewer, or gives the impression that ITV view this as a Major event which is important to their audience and to them.

Meanwhile the BBC will present the vast majority of the tournament from their studios in Salford. Saving License fee payers money is being cited as the reason, but as a License fee payer I want to see the BBC treating the World Cup as it should be treated, like the biggest event in the world. The reaction on social media has been overwhelmingly positive towards ITV's choice to cover the tournament on site, and the perception of the audience matters. This could be a huge own goal by the BBC, especially considering many of the pundits they are using are already in the USA, Canada or Mexico, and the commentary teams will be at the games anyway, so why not go the extra step and set up a studio in a location in one of the host countries?

Another own goal by the BBC was the decision they took following the exit of Gary Lineker to drop The Rest is Football from BBC Sounds, and to not at least do a deal with GOALHANGER for this World Cup. Lineker was initially going to conclude his BBC career by presenting this World Cup, but the pair went their separate ways in May 2025 at the end of the 2024-25 Premier League season.

GOALHANGER is the largest and most successful independent podcast company in the UK, and outside the USA, and The Rest is Football is one of the most viewed and listened to sports podcasts, with 494k subscribers on YouTube and has more than 8 million monthly listeners across Podcast platforms. In November 2024 BBC agreed a deal to use The Rest is Football on BBC Sounds under license, along with several other GOALHANGER podcasts, but with the exit of Lineker from the corporation they declined to keep that deal running.

In 2025 The Rest is Football formed two massive partnerships, first with DAZN to show clips from every game during the FIFA Club World Cup, accompanying the presentation and comments of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, with reports on the ground from Alex Aljoe. The Rest is Football episodes were streamed both on YouTube and on DAZN, adding to DAZN's exclusive live coverage of the tournament. Then in August 2025 GOALHANGER secured a three-year deal for The Rest is Football to show clips from LA LIGA matches, and launched TRIF LA LIGA, hosted by Gary Lineker with Alex Aljoe.

With Lineker no longer tied to presenting for a broadcaster at this World Cup there became a great opportunity to cover the tournament through The Rest is Football, and in December it was confirmed that Netflix had secured a deal to stream 40 episodes of The Rest is Football from a studio in New York City for the duration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Whilst The Rest is Football will not show any game action during this World Cup, the deal with Netflix has given the podcast a major uplift, and it is set to be a regular part of how I consume content during this World Cup.

The Rest is Football on Netflix features a production team of more than 30, featuring Harry Lineker, who usually operates the show himself when it is in traditional podcast form week-in-week-out, and in addition to the regular panel of Lineker, Shearer and Richards, the show will feature guests including Harry McGuire, Frank Lampard, Millie Bright, Patrick Vieira and others. With Shearer and Richards also working for BBC throughout the tournament, The Rest is Football had to secure additional personalities to make the show work on Netflix.

The Rest is Football also will feature the contributions of Alex Aljoe (who is working for host broadcaster FOX during this World Cup), and Rob Jones, who will be reporting across the various venues. The show is filmed at a studio adjacent to Times Square in New York, and is available from 0600 BST every day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Now, imagine if BBC had the courage to ignore the political nonsense, and the social media noise against Gary Lineker, and decided that it was worth investing in a deal with GOALHANGER for The Rest is Football during this World Cup. Many observers on social media have commented on the lack of a morning show during this World Cup to round up the action late at night and overnight, and The Rest is Football could have filled that role in spectacular fashion.

BBC have the rights to the World Cup, so if they did a deal to show The Rest is Football then they could have included clips from the games, maybe even extended highlights too. The Rest is Football could have been shown on demand on the iPlayer from 0600 each morning, but shown on BBC One at 1045am each day, following Morning Live, and running into the lunchtime News.

BBC's loss is Netflix's gain, and how long until the world's biggest streamer tempts FIFA to do a deal for highlights or even live coverage of the greatest show on earth?

GRNDSTND, by Matt Hooper

Matt Hooper is an Associate Member of the Sports Journalists Association