Coronation Street fans have been left baffled and frustrated by ongoing schedule changes on ITV, as the soap opera takes a back seat to the network's coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The drama in Weatherfield continues tonight after a cancelled episode on Wednesday, but viewers face further disruption with Friday's episode also pulled from the schedule.
Tonight's episode airs at later time
On Wednesday evening, Coronation Street was cancelled as Switzerland vs Canada kicked off at 8pm on ITV1. Tonight, the soap returns at a later time of 9pm, airing until 10pm. The episode description teases: "Gary assures Todd that Kit's theory is unfounded, Susie exposes Will and Megan's game, and Nina dreads a difficult conversation with Roy. Elsewhere, Jodie uses Ryan to make David jealous, and Summer splashes the cash on her friends."
Friday's episode also cancelled
However, fans should not get too excited, as Friday's episode has been taken off air. Coverage of Norway vs France begins at 7pm, with an 8pm kick-off at Boston Stadium in the USA. Coronation Street shared a post on social media earlier this week to acknowledge the schedule changes, prompting a wave of complaints from viewers.
One fan commented: "Beyond a joke now." Another wrote: "Why can’t the soaps move to a different channel when sports are on?!!!" A third added: "I'm watching episode everywhere here there ..... I don't know what's happening...Can't wait for footy to come to an end after next week."
Full schedule for this week
The Coronation Street schedule for this week is as follows: Monday – 9pm to 10pm; Tuesday – 9.30pm to 10pm; Wednesday – no episode; Thursday – 9pm to 10pm; Friday – no episode. The soap airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
According to Holly Clarke, TV Writer for the Liverpool Echo, the schedule changes have been a recurring issue over the past few weeks, with the soap taken off air on several occasions due to ITV's World Cup coverage.
