ITV's lavish new World Cup studio was meant to be one of the talking points of the tournament. Instead, after just one night of action, viewers were all saying the same thing.
The broadcaster unveiled its spectacular Brooklyn-based studio for the opening matches of the 2026 World Cup, with panoramic views of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge and New York's skyline providing a stunning backdrop for presenters and pundits.
ITV bosses had gone to extraordinary lengths to create what they hoped would be a showpiece set for the duration of the tournament. The broadcaster spent almost two years scouting locations before settling on a rooftop at Panorama Brooklyn Studios, even building a raised structure to ensure iconic landmarks appeared in exactly the right places behind presenters.
Speaking before the tournament, ITV Sport executive director Paul McNamara said the aim was to give viewers something special. "The World Cup's the biggest show in the world," he explained. "I'm trying to take the viewer to the event and say, 'This is what it feels like'."
But while social media users were initially impressed by the dramatic views, attention quickly turned elsewhere as ITV's opening-night coverage was disrupted by strong winds sweeping across the rooftop set. Viewers noticed presenters and pundits struggling to hear one another, with some discussions descending into what appeared to be a shouting match as the weather conditions worsened.
The issue became a major talking point online during coverage of the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa and the later match between South Korea and the Czech Republic.
One viewer posted: "Why don't ITV just change their studio to indoors lol. It looks so stupid with them constantly blowing." Another wrote: "'ITV have such a good studio.' So good that you can hear taxis honking their horns every 30 seconds..." A third predicted: "ITV are going to regret this outdoor studio."
One fan joked: "And we now go live to the ITV World Cup studio for a weather update." Another added: "This ITV studio is going to be a nightmare for anyone with a hairpiece." One viewer summed up the problem by writing: "ITV - We've got an outdoor studio ... let's all shout to each other!" And another said: "ITV studio looks nice but because it's on the bank of a massive river it's so windy they're all SCREAMING at each other."
The weather had already caused ITV problems before a ball was kicked. During England's warm-up match against Costa Rica earlier this week, presenter Mark Pougatch and pundit Ian Wright were forced to secure their notes as strong gusts swept across the set. McNamara admitted before the tournament that weather conditions were one of his biggest concerns, revealing he had become "an amateur meteorologist" while preparing for the competition.
ITV has contingency plans in place if conditions deteriorate further, including windows that can be deployed during stronger winds and rain, while an indoor studio has been prepared as an emergency fallback option should storms or lightning make the rooftop unsafe.
The criticism comes after ITV and the BBC took very different approaches to their World Cup coverage. While ITV invested heavily in a New York-based studio overlooking the city's skyline, the BBC opted to keep its main presentation team in Salford, using a state-of-the-art virtual studio setup instead. That decision had been mocked by some before the tournament began, but after ITV's wind-hit opening night, plenty of viewers were left wondering whether the broadcaster's spectacular backdrop might come with an unexpected downside.
