Save for Lee Dixon and Martin Keown being miserable, most of the World Cup 2026 commentary and analysis is good. That said, there were a couple of clangers during Friday night’s matches.
First up, nobody in the BBC commentary booth identified two-time Women’s World Cup winner Alex Morgan, who was sitting in front of former US, Seattle Sounders, Leicester City and Tottenham goalkeeper Kasey Keller (who they did recognise).
More awkwardly, on ITV, Ally McCoist wasn’t sure what Achraf Hakimi had “done to upset the locals,” as Scotland fans booed the Morocco captain throughout the match. The most rudimentary research would have told him that PSG’s flying fullback will stand trial in a rape case in France. Hakimi denies all allegations against him.
Things did not improve yesterday, as Iran took on perennial dark horses Belgium. Along with the compulsory mentions of The Red Devils’ “Golden Generation”, ITV commentators Joe Speight and Lucy Ward consistently referenced the difficult situation the Iranian side faces. This includes everything from a ban on staying in the US to being the last team to receive the competition’s official matchball for training.
Telling Half the World Cup Story
During all this, Speight and Ward might have also explained that Iran has terror proxies around the globe, and the US and Israel engaged it in a war to try and deal with that, hence the restrictions the team is facing. Accepting that is unlikely, they could have said that the tyrannical Tehran regime has constantly threatened to eliminate Israel. At the very least, they should have noted that many Iranians want the overthrow of that same regime.
Indeed, at one point, Speight commented that the Iranian national anthem had been booed. He added there were “no further protests to report”. Despite stories in The Athleticand elsewhere of fans trying to bring pre-revolutionary Iranian flags into a game, he game no credence to the idea that maybe the boos were from Iranian fans protesting.
Ultimately, a fear of properly engaging with the politics meant that Speight and Ward did not provide meaningful context. It left viewers with the impression that the Iranians were victims. Of what, nobody could be quite sure. (Unless, of course, you just wanted to assume it’s Israel. Always the easiest option.)
I do not expect football commentators to provide legal analysis, nor outline the complicated situation in the Middle East. However, reality cannot be ignored. The compliments of Hakimi’s typically brilliant play, as people booed him, were increasingly ridiculous. So too was the usually excellent McCoist’s ill-informed comment. The same goes for the references to Iran. Speight and Ward tried to evoke sympathy, with little attempt at explaining the full story.
In the end, it was all a bit weird and let down the viewer.
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