The England ITV curse is part of the discussion around any international tournament these days, on a list with goalkeepers complaining about the new ball and newspapers ramping up the clamour for one of the bench to be given a start based on club form.
It's nonsense, though, surely? There's no way that England can perform badly just because the game is being shown on a network with adverts. After all, the 3-0 win against Senegal in the last-16 of the World Cup this year proves that the Three Lions can perform when Mark Pougatch and co. are watching on.
Well… actually, it's conclusive. England are bad on ITV: and don't get us started on Channel 4, who hosted a Nations League campaign this year in which England failed to win a single match.
England's ITV curse: the numbers
In 1990, the World Cup aired on both channels. Since 1998, England games have been split across the two, with 16 on the BBC, 17 on ITV.
England have a 75% win ratio during the World Cup on the Beeb, compared to a pitiful 18% when it's not on that side. BBC's record stands at 12 wins, a draw and three losses, while ITV have only seen three wins, six draws and eight losses.
| Year | Opponent | Score, result |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tunisia | 2-0, WON |
| 1998 | Colombia | 2-0, WON |
| 2002 | Argentina | 1-0, WON |
| 2002 | Nigeria | 1-1, DRAWN |
| 2002 | Denmark | 3-0, WON |
| 2002 | Brazil | 2-1, LOST |
| 2006 | Paraguay | 1-0, WON |
| 2006 | Ecuador | 1-0, WON |
| 2010 | Slovenia | 1-0, WON |
| 2010 | Germany | 4-1, LOST |
| 2014 | Italy | 2-1, LOST |
| 2018 | Tunisia | 2-1, WON |
| 2018 | Panama | 6-1, WON |
| 2018 | Sweden | 2-0, WON |
| 2022 | Iran | 6-2, WON |
| 2022 | Wales | 3-0, WON |
The BBC only have two knockout losses – to Brazil in 2002 and Germany in 2010. The one draw that the channel has overseen in the past 24 years was a hard-fought goalless game against Nigeria to qualify for the second round of the competition in Japan and South Korea.
Plenty of England's more famous wins have come on Channel 1, meanwhile. It's perhaps no surprise, then, that Women's Euro 2022 was broadcast on the BBC.
| Year | Opponent | Score, result |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Romania | 2-1, LOST |
| 1998 | Argentina | 2-2 p, LOST |
| 2002 | Sweden | 1-1, DRAWN |
| 2006 | Sweden | 2-2, DRAWN |
| 2006 | Trinidad & Tobago | 2-0, WON |
| 2006 | Portugal | 0-0 p, LOST |
| 2010 | United States | 1-1, DRAWN |
| 2010 | Algeria | 0-0, DRAWN |
| 2014 | Uruguay | 2-1, LOST |
| 2014 | Costa Rica | 0-0, DRAWN |
| 2018 | Belgium | 1-0, LOST |
| 2018 | Colombia | 1-1 p, WON |
| 2018 | Croatia | 2-1, LOST |
| 2018 | Belgium | 2-0, LOST |
| 2022 | United States | 0-0, DRAWN |
| 2022 | Senegal | 3-0, WON |
| 2022 | France | 2-1, LOST |
It doesn't make for good reading on ITV. They've had every World Cup penalty shootout – and England have only won one of them.
Two of the channel's only three wins have come in the past two tournaments with the other against minnows Trinidad & Tobago. It's certainly puzzling – perhaps they can agree to swap broadcast rights if it's a big game?
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