England's final preparations for Euro 2024 are underway, but fans may need some help to watch their last steps before heading to Germany.
Gareth Southgate's side host Bosnia & Herzegovina at St. James' Park on Monday before Iceland come to Wembley in a final warm-up fixture on Friday. And supporters will be pleased to know both games will be made available on free-to-air television.
The Three Lions have traditionally seen their matches shown via the BBC or ITV over the decades. And both broadcasters will share coverage rights over the course of Euro 2024, with England's first two games in Group C set to be aired on the BBC.
But it's Channel 4 who will take over hosting duties this week as Southgate puts the final pieces of his pre-tournament puzzle in place. England have failed to win any of their last three games but will look to inject some much-needed momentum into their prep.
The friendlies against Iceland and Bosnia will mark the end of Channel 4's England association for the foreseeable future, however. The broadcaster agreed a two-year deal to show the Three Lions' fixtures from June 2022 until September 2024.
It's at that point ITV will resume its responsibilities as England's go-to broadcaster for the next four years. A total of 40 England international will air on ITV between September this year and June 2028, while it also boasts the rights to England women's matches until 2025.
Both home and away fixtures are included in the deal, which gets underway when England kick off a new UEFA Nations League cycle in the second tier come September. They'll suit up against Greece, Finland and the Republic of Ireland in Group B2, hoping to clinch promotion back to the big leagues at the first time of asking.
“We’re delighted to bring the England men’s team back to ITV, which keeps coverage of their progress between major tournaments on free to air television," said ITV's Director of Sport, Niall Sloane, when the new deal was announced. "We have an experienced team here who are looking forward to bringing viewers all the action and insight from England’s qualification campaigns in the coming years.”
For now, though, Southgate & Co will play out their pre-Euros friendlies under Channel 4's watch, with tensions mounting ahead of the big kick-off in Germany. Monday's match is particularly special given it will be England's maiden meeting with Bosnia & Herzegovina before they target a repeat of their 4-0 triumph against Iceland four years ago.
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