Ferdinand jokingly demanded Williams leave BBC studio for ignoring England at 2022 World Cup

Rio Ferdinand called for fellow BBC pundit Ashley Williams to be ejected from the studio during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, after Williams omitted England from his semi-final predictions during a live broadcast alongside Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer.

The moment came as the tournament entered the knockout stages and the pundits were mapping out potential pathways to the final. When Williams was asked to assess the half of the draw containing England’s quarter-final against France, he named France and Spain as the likely semi-finalists — skipping England altogether.

“What? What are you talking about?” Ferdinand shot back. “This is why Ashley shouldn’t be in here. He should be gone now, take him out.”

The clip has resurfaced in the context of England’s run at the 2026 World Cup, where Thomas Tuchel’s side have now surpassed their Qatar showing by reaching the semi-finals. Jude Bellingham scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Norway on Saturday to send England through.

Ferdinand, who had originally tipped France or Spain to win the tournament, has since revised his view. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said he now believes England can go all the way.

“I think we do,” Ferdinand said. “When the chips are down and things aren’t going well, England are working things out. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle and we’re showing we’re able to find the right piece at the right time. I think that’s one of the things we have over the others.”

Despite Bellingham’s match-winning brace against Norway, Ferdinand stopped short of handing the Real Madrid midfielder the man of the match award, instead making a case for Elliot Anderson.

“I thought Anderson was great,” Ferdinand said. “I can make very good arguments that you might not win the game without either of their performances and impact moments, so you need the blend of both. I’ve played in many games where someone scored two goals but a midfielder or defender walks off with the man of the match because of moments that aren’t as visible but are just as decisive.”