The BBC has secured exclusive live broadcast rights to select “family-friendly” kickoff times during the first knockout round of the World Cup, including England’s Round of 32 match against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The tournament’s knockout phase begins this week, with the BBC aiming to attract viewers, especially families and children, through early evening match scheduling.

The broadcaster announced it had the first choice of all 16 knockout fixtures and selected games occurring in time slots before the television watershed to maximize family viewing. England’s initial knockout game, set for a 5 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday, is among these exclusive broadcasts. This scheduling decision grants the BBC the only free-to-air live coverage of England’s entry into the knockout stage, a significant draw given the national team’s popularity. Alongside the England match, the BBC will also air the 6 p.m. encounter between Ivory Coast and Norway on Tuesday.

The move comes amid intense competition with ITV for World Cup viewing audiences. During the group stage, ITV dominated, securing seven of the top ten largest television audiences, including England’s 4-2 victory over Croatia, which attracted a peak audience of 16.4 million viewers. ITV also drew a peak audience of 13.8 million for England’s 2-0 win against Panama, representing 80% of the total TV audience at that time.

However, the BBC recorded a strong peak viewership of 15.4 million for England’s second group match against Ghana, which was accompanied by a record 8.3 million streaming requests on the corporation’s digital platforms.

In a notable development during this competitive period, the two broadcasters have maintained a unique “non-aggression pact,” where each has at times directed viewers to games being aired by the other network, a departure from traditional rival broadcasting strategies.

This latest announcement underscores the BBC’s strategic focus on accessible viewing times to capture family audiences as the tournament intensifies, competing directly with ITV while leveraging early knockout phase matches featuring the Three Lions.