Who are the BBC World Cup commentators? Robyn Cowen, Alex Scott and full list of pundits

The BBC and ITV both bring coverage of the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney

Faiza Saqib
Sunday 20 August 2023 12:05 BST
Comments
England team rallies ahead of World Cup final: ‘We need to play the game of our lives’

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Women’s World Cup has brought drama and entertainment over recent weeks with the Lionesses reaching their first-ever final against Spain.

But as the final started, fans noticed the BBC’s lead commentator Robyn Cowen struggling with what appeared to be a sore throat. While there was another issue with the audio, as the Spanish language commentary could be clearly heard for a few minutes.

Fans rallied around Cowen, who was joined for commentary by Rachel Brown-Finnis, on social media shortly after noticing the issue. Some described the issue as “cruel” for one of football’s most popular commentators, and others admitted they were as “nervous” for her as the Lionesses to overcome the problem.

Fans tuned in for coverage led by Gabby Logan on the BBC coverage, while Laura Woods operated as the presenter for the alternative broadcast on ITV. Here are all the commentators and pundits across both channels:

Who will be presenting the coverage on TV?

The BBC presenters

Gabby Logan, 50, will be leading the BBC’s coverage of the event. The Welsh television presenter began her broadcasting career in 1992 and went to join Sky News in 1996. Her success continued after she established herself as one of their key presenters. In 1998 she then went to join ITV, where she presented various fixtures including The World Cup and Champions League.

BBC Sport presenter Gabby Logan
BBC Sport presenter Gabby Logan (PA)

Logan hosted BBC’s Sport Relief in 2004 and in 2007, the presenter joined the company. During her time at the BBC, she presented the Final Score, Inside Sport and the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

Reshmin Chowdhury, 45, is a British Journalist who currently presents live Premier League football on TalkSport as well as live coverage of the Women’s Super League and other major women’s football tournaments for BBC Sport.

BT Sport presenter Reshmin Chowdhury pitch side prior to the UEFA Euro 2021 Under-21 Qualifying Group 3 match at Molineux, Wolverhampton.
BT Sport presenter Reshmin Chowdhury pitch side prior to the UEFA Euro 2021 Under-21 Qualifying Group 3 match at Molineux, Wolverhampton. (PA)

Chowdhury has worked across football coverage with BT Sport for nine years, including coverage on the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Alex Scott, 38, is a Sports commentator, pundit and former professional footballer who played as right-back for Arsenal in the FA WSL. She won nine league titles and seven FA Cups before crossing the Atlantic In 2009.

BBC Sport presenter Alex Scott during the Barclays Women’s Super League match at Kingsmeadow, London on Wednesday 3 May, 2023.
BBC Sport presenter Alex Scott during the Barclays Women’s Super League match at Kingsmeadow, London on Wednesday 3 May, 2023. (PA)

Also known as a highly-experienced England International, the star featured for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics and made 140 appearances for the England national team.

Growing in her success, in 2019 Scott became a pundit for BBC Sport and Sky Sports. She also featured during the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The ITV presenters

Laura Woods, 36, has grown in her broadcasting and presenting roles across a range of sports with ITV, Sky Sports and TalkSport.

Amazon Prime's Laura Woods prior to the Premier League match at Villa Park, Birmingham on Monday 26 December 2022.
Amazon Prime's Laura Woods prior to the Premier League match at Villa Park, Birmingham on Monday 26 December 2022. (PA)

Woods will now be the lead presenter for the Champions League as TNT Sport enters the British and Irish market replacing BT Sport. The presenter will be leading the all-female presenter team for the football news venture.

Seema Jaswal,38, is a TV presenter from London and currently works with a number of UK and international broadcasters.

ITV Sport presenter Seema Jaswal during the Emirates FA Cup second round match at Peninsula Stadium, Salford.
ITV Sport presenter Seema Jaswal during the Emirates FA Cup second round match at Peninsula Stadium, Salford. (PA)

Jaswal currently presents the Champions League on BT Sport, ITV’s International football, Premier League’s global Match-Day live coverage and BBC’s Snooker Triple Crown events.

The star goes beyond the sports scene and has been featured on Ted Lassion Season 2, ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, Celebrity Catch Phrase and The Chase.

Michelle Owen, known as one of the UK’s leading female sports presenters currently presents Sky Sports EFL coverage and has recently been a part of the ITV football team - covering the men’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Presenter Michelle Owen during the Sky Bet League One play-off, semi-final, first leg match at the Weston Homes Stadium, Peterborough.
Presenter Michelle Owen during the Sky Bet League One play-off, semi-final, first leg match at the Weston Homes Stadium, Peterborough. (PA)

Owen’s passion for football started at an early age and she soon went on to play in the Women’s Premier League.

Confident in her skills, Owen went to Euro 2020 with ITV, keeping across the Wales coverage throughout the tournament as well as other teams in the final.

Get all the latest Women's World Cup odds

BBC World Cup pundits and commentators

Robyn Cowen - The BBC’s lead commentator with experience on Match of the Day, Cowen leads the BBC’s in-game coverage on the microphone.

Ellen White - Known as England’s record goalscorer in 2021, White was also a part of the Lionesses’ 2022 Euros win. After a decade-long career, the football star retired last summer.

Stephen Houghton - Ex-England captain and Manchester City defender put pen to paper once again by signing a one-year extension with City - this will see her enter her 10th year at the Club.

Fara Williams - A regular BBC pundit, Williams is known as the most-capped England player of all time. The star and pundit has also won the Women’s FA Cup with Everton and Arsenal and the FA WSL title with Liverpool.

Rachel Brown-Finnis - A former England goalkeeper, Brown played for the Lionesses on more than 80 occasions and at club level for top WSL sides, Liverpool Women and Everton Women. She is now a regular BBC and BT Sport pundit as well as a co-commentator.

Anita Asante - Former England defender with 71 caps for the Lionesses, the star also competed for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics. Asante is currently a coach for Bristol City and now features on BBC and Sky Sports as a pundit.

Karen Bardsley - The former England goalkeeper was part of three World Cup Squads in 2011, 2015 and 2019. She has experience as a pundit at the BBC and Sky Sports.

Laura Georges - The French defender has now taken on the role of Secretary General of the France Football Federation and previously appeared as a pundit on BBC.

Jonas Eidevall -  Taking on the position of head coach for the Arsenal Women’s team, Eidevall has also wrapped up the winning title of the 2022/2023 League Cup and is a regular BBC pundit.

Scott Booth - Former football player and current coach of Women’s Championship side Lewes FC has won six league titles with Glasgow City.

ITV World Cup Pundits

Eni Aluko - Ex-England international has been a regular pundit on ITV, BT Sport, Amazon Prime and Fox Sports since retiring in 2019.

Karen Carney - Dubbed as one of England’s most capped players the former midfielder has experience with BBC, Amazon Prime, Sky Sports and The Guardian.

Jill Scott - One of England’s “most decorated players” is one of the select few Lionesses to have passed 150 caps. Scott was also crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2023 and now provides analysis as a pundit for ITV and Channel 4.

Emma Hayes - Head coach of Chelsea, Hayes has seen a stream of success as a manager and now provides punditry with ITV.

Fran Kirby - Chelsea and England Midfielder, Kirby was a part of the Euro 2020 winning squad but was not able to make it to the World Cup due to a knee injury.

Lucy Ward - Currently known as a co-commentator for BBC, BT Sport, TalkSport, Channel 4 and more.

Siobhan Chamberlain - The former professional footballer has 50 caps for the England Lionesses and a lot of experience in the broadcasting field.

Emma Byrne - The Irish goalkeeper has made 134 appearances for the Republic of Ireland.

Vicky Losada - The Spanish football midfielder has represented her country at multiple World Cups.

Jen Beattie - Racking up over 100 appearances, Beattie currently plays for Arsenal FC and retired from international duties in 2023.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in