ITV Sport unveils cinematic World Cup 2026 titles

ITV Sport has unveiled the title sequence for its FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage. The 1m22s film takes football fans on a cinematic, cross-country American Road Trip set to Rascal Flatts’s cover of Tom Cochrane’s song Life Is a Highway. 

The creative approach mixes footage of the open road shot on 16mm film with famous moments and faces from the history of the global game. 

ITV says the titles serve as a visual overdrive of Americana and Northern America more broadly.

The Life Is a Highway song was made famous in Disney’s animated film Cars, while the titles also feature historic ITV commentary from across the last 50 years. This includes Huw Johns’ on Pelé during the 1970 World Cup, Brian Moore, John Helm, Clive Tyldesley and Sam Matterface on Lionel Messi in 2022.

The titles are opened by the voices of Mark Pougatch and Laura Woods, who lead ITV’s coverage for the forthcoming tournament. 

The film was commissioned by ITV Sport Production executive director and producer Paul McNamara, and was produced by Noah Media Group. It was directed by Tim Mackenzie Smith, filmed by Andrew White, with editing by Hussein Hassan.

ITV will broadcast live from a custom-built rooftop studio in Brooklyn, New York for the duration of the tournament. Its coverage starts with the first two matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026, including one of the host nations, Mexico v South Africa, live from Mexico City at 8pm (UK) on ITV1, ITV4, ITVX, STV and STV Player.

ITV Sport’s coverage will be led by Mark Pougatch, Laura Woods and Semra Hunter, as they are joined by pundits, presenters, commentators and reporters. Pundits include Roy Keane, Ian Wright, Gary Neville, Patrick Vieira, Karen Carney, Ange Postecoglou, Juan Mata, Emma Hayes, Duncan Ferguson, Jobi McAnuff and Bradley Wright-Phillips.

McNamara said: “The titles set out our stall to the viewers. For this tournament we wanted to capture the joy of a retro style road trip, before bringing viewers right to the doorstep of our New York studio where we’ll be based, and the MetLife Stadium. From the visuals to the anthemic music, the whole concept is designed to be uplifting. When people tune in, we want them to smile, feel the positive energy, and know they are here for a truly fantastic event.”

John McKenna, producer & CEO, Noah Media Group added: “It is always a privilege to be chosen to deliver the opening titles for ITV Sport’s FIFA Men’s World Cup coverage. For this tournament, we wanted to create something that felt different – less animation-led, more cinematic, and something that simply felt like summer. The idea of a road trip across North America, shot on 16mm film and woven together with the incredible World Cup archive, felt perfect. I’m hugely proud of what our team has delivered and hope the sequence, together with Rascal Flatts’ iconic ‘Life is a Highway’, connects with viewers and helps capture the excitement of the tournament ahead.”

Mackenzie-Smith said: “For any director, the opportunity to travel across North America creating a major title sequence is incredibly exciting. To be able to shoot it on amazing 60-year old 16mm film camera made it even more special, and gave the project a distinctive look and feel from the very beginning. We covered thousands of miles, filming cities, landscapes and landmarks across the continent. Once we saw the first processed footage, we felt we had something special. It was then about trying to get the very best of this into the one-minute sequence - not easy! DOP Andrew White, editor Hussein Hussan and the whole Noah team did a fantastic job.”