Laura Woods introduced the match on Sunday night (Image: ITV)
FIFA World Cup 2026 viewers voiced the same grievance as they tuned in to watch the Netherlands take on Japan on Sunday evening. The fixture, staged at AT&T Stadium, got underway at 9pm UK time and 4pm ET in the US.
The game is being broadcast on FOX in the US and ITV1 in the UK, with streaming options available on FOX One and ITVX, respectively. Japan arrived at the tournament in breathtaking form, having won their last six matches, including remarkable victories over Brazil and England. The Netherlands, meanwhile, remains among the favourites despite coping with the significant absence of creative talisman Xavi Simons through injury and having won just one of their previous three outings.
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Some viewers were left fuming over ITV’s live coverage (Image: ITV)
Yet within minutes of kick-off, disgruntled supporters flocked to X to vent their anger over ITV’s live broadcast. One fan fumed, “Can we just ban ITV from showing the World Cup? And give it all to the BBC? Constantly poor quality, cuts out, app closes, itv X sucks,” the Daily Star reports.
Another agreed, “Watching the #Worldcup on @BBC beautiful UHD quality streaming, @ITV looks like I’m playing #sensiblesoccer from the 90s, awful. And with those Dutch kits, it’s all a blur!”
A third added, “So the Dutch have broken ITV’s stream with their kits. It’s bordering on unwatchable on my set. No issues with any other ITV game until tonight.”
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“Picture quality on ITV for the World Cup is horrendous. Swear I’m watching pro-evo soccer,” someone else echoed. Nevertheless, not all viewers shared the same reservations, with some fans delighted by the coverage, one enthusiastic supporter writing, “Hats off to @ITV for the #WorldCup coverage.”
The Netherlands take on Japan in an 9pm kick off at the World Cup (Image: Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)
“I agree,” another simply wrote.
Laura Woods introduced the commentary for the match, telling viewers, “Changeover complete, and now we head to the Lone Star state and the home of the Dallas Cowboys for our next live game.
“As dark horses, Japan and the Netherlands face off in Texas.”
She added, “This is not Japan’s first rodeo, but the Dutch will be spurred on to end their unwanted record as three-time runners-up.”
