SPORT VERSUS SOAP EastEnders World Cup schedule guide: When is soap on during football tournament?

THE 2026 World Cup kicked off in fine style on Thursday, June 11, with co-hosts Mexico easing past South Africa in a 2-0 win.

However, eagle-eyed soap opera fans may be concerned given matches are being shown across the BBC and ITV.

But what does it mean for EastEnders? Read on below for the upcoming schedule for the flagship BBC soap.

What is the EastEnders schedule during the World Cup?

• Monday, June 15: 7:30pm (BBC Two)
• Tuesday, June 16: 7:30pm (BBC Two)
• Wednesday, June 17: 8:30pm (BBC One)
• Thursday, June 18: 8:30pm (BBC One)
• Friday, June 19: Not airing
• Saturday, June 20: Not airing
• Sunday, June 21: Not airing
• Monday, June 22: 8:30pm (BBC One)

Note that BBC’s TV guide for its soaps schedule currently only runs to Monday, June 22.

When is Eastenders on BBC iPlayer during the World Cup?

For those who can’t wait for their soap fix, each EastEnders episode will also be available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

New episodes will be available to watch on the BBC’s streaming platform at any time on the day of broadcast.

Which World Cup games are on BBC?

• Monday, June 15: Ivory Coast v Ecuador, KO midnight, followed by Belgium v Egypt, KO 8pm
• Tuesday, June 16: Iran v New Zealand, KO 2am, followed by France v Senegal, KO 8pm, followed by Iraq v Norway, KO 11pm
• Wednesday, June 17: Austria v Jordan, KO 5am, followed by Portugal v DR Congo, KO 6pm
• Thursday, June 18: Uzbekistan v Colombia, KO 3am, followed by Czech Republic v South Africa, KO 5pm
• Friday, June 19: Mexico v South Korea, KO 2am, followed by USA v Australia, KO 8pm
• Saturday, June 20: Netherlands vs Sweden, KO 6pm
• Sunday, June 21: Ecuador vs Curacao, KO 1am, followed by Tunisia vs Japan, KO 5am, followed by Spain vs Saudi Arabia, KO 5pm, followed by Uruguay vs Cape Verde, KO 11pm
• Monday, June 22: Argentina vs Egypt, KO 6pm, followed by France vs Iraq, 10pm
• Tuesday, June 23: England vs Ghana, KO 9pm
• Wednesday, June 24: Panama vs Croatia, KO 12am, followed by Morocco vs Haiti, KO 11pm, followed by Scotland vs Brazil, KO 11pm
• Thursday, June 25: Czech Republic vs Mexico, KO 2am, followed by South Africa vs South Korea, KO 2am, followed by Curacao vs Ivory Coast, KO 9pm, followed by Ecuador vs Germany, KO 9pm
• Friday, June 26: Japan vs Sweden, KO 12am, followed by Tunisia vs Netherlands, KO 12am
• Saturday, June 27: Egypt vs Iran, KO 4am, followed by New Zealand vs Belgium, KO 4am
• Sunday, June 28: Colombia vs Portugal, KO 12.30am, followed by DR Congo vs Uzbekistan, KO 12.30am, followed by Algeria vs Austria, KO 3am, and Jordan vs Argentina, KO 3am

TV schedules for the knockout stages of World Cup 2026 have not yet been released.