FIFA World Cup 2026 viewers have expressed widespread dissatisfaction with ITV's live coverage of the Netherlands versus Japan match, which took place on Sunday evening. Social media platforms, particularly X, were flooded with complaints shortly after the broadcast began.
Match Details
The fixture was held at AT&T Stadium, kicking off at 9pm UK time and 4pm ET. In the UK, ITV1 handled the broadcast, while FOX covered it in the US. Streaming was available via ITVX and FOX One, respectively. Japan entered the match in stellar form, having won their last six games, including impressive victories over Brazil and England. The Netherlands, despite being tournament favorites, were missing midfielder Xavi Simons due to injury and had only one win in their previous three matches.
Viewer Complaints
Within minutes of the broadcast, fans took to X to criticize the picture quality and streaming stability. One viewer wrote: "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." Another added: "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 fan commented: "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." Others echoed the sentiment, with one stating: "Picture quality on ITV for the World Cup is horrendous. Swear I'm watching pro-evo soccer."
Positive Feedback
However, not all feedback was negative. Some viewers praised the coverage, with one writing: "Hats off to @ITV for the #WorldCup coverage." Another simply agreed: "I agree."
Laura Woods introduced 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 also noted: "This is not Japan's first rodeo, but the Dutch will be spurred on to end their unwanted record as three-time runners-up."
