England supporters were left outraged by the dire picture quality during England’s pre-World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand on ITV — a 1-0 victory in sweltering Florida heat that did little to silence doubts about the team’s readiness.
The game, played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Saturday evening, saw Thomas Tuchel’s side labour to victory, with Harry Kane heading home a Djed Spence cross in first-half stoppage time. But for many watching back home, the biggest talking point was not the performance but the coverage.
“England beat New Zealand 1-0 in sweltering conditions as fans slam ITV's picture quality.”
One furious fan took to X to blast ITV: “Is this a rerun from 1982 or 1978 world cup? Atrocious quality #itv #England.” Another wrote: “@ITV what is happening with your pictures of the #England match. Looks like a 1980s tv.” A third posted: “Why does the game on ITV look like poor quality picture, like it’s a 1960s replay or something ? #eng #england #fa #itv.” A fourth grumbled: “@ITV Why is the picture so s*?? Sort it out!!” A fifth chimed in: “American host image + ITV = absolute s* picture quality. World Cup will look crap on ITV, at least BBC will be having a 4k feed.” A sixth simply remarked: “ITV picture quality on this England game is garbage. Like watching Mexico 86.”
Not everyone blamed ITV. One viewer countered: “It is the same on the BBC for the Scotland game.” Another pointed out: “It’s the American footage.”
Elsewhere, viewers directed their ire at the commentary team of Sam Matterface and Lee Dixon. One supporter wrote: “Dear ITV, please don’t let Lee Dixon and his negative views anywhere near an England World Cup match for the whole month! Yours sincerely, the entire nation.” Another posted: “Is Lee Dixon honestly the best available pundit ITV can wheel out for England games? Tragic!” A third commented: “Matterface doesn’t offer even 5% of what Tyldesley did when it comes to commentating on England games in ITV. Whatever were @itvfootball doing?”
On the pitch, Tuchel made a winning start to his summer campaign, handing 22 players a run out in trying conditions. All the starters were replaced at half-time, with Arsenal stars Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka not yet in the United States. Kane’s 79th international goal was the difference, but the performance was unconvincing.
Meanwhile, Scotland provided a boost, beating Bolivia 4-0 in their warm-up. Kris Boyd praised the individual performances, and Che Adams scored twice. Lawrence Shankland also impressed, raising questions about whether Steve Clarke has found his striker partnership for the World Cup.
With the tournament looming, England’s unconvincing display and the furore over ITV’s coverage leave nagging questions — not least whether the picture quality will improve before the real action begins.