Guy Mowbray's 'off the bar' gaffe during England vs Ghana baffles World Cup viewers

BBC lead commentator Guy Mowbray drew widespread mockery during England’s World Cup group-stage match against Ghana after incorrectly declaring Harry Kane’s blocked effort had struck the crossbar, before swiftly correcting himself with “it’s behind, rather for a corner.”

The gaffe came in the closing minutes of the first half as England, struggling to break the deadlock, saw Kane’s shot deflected low to the ground and out of play — nowhere near the goal. Mowbray caught himself almost immediately, but not before viewers had already taken to social media to register their disbelief.

“Even on the TV screen I could see that was nowhere near the bar, what game is Guy Mowbray watching,” one fan wrote on X. A second asked simply: “‘It’s off the bar’ — is Guy Mowbray OK?” A third was less forgiving: “Kane just had a shot deflected that went out of play nowhere near to goal and BBC commentator said it was ‘off the bar’ — get your eyes checked mate!”

A fourth went further, targeting the broader production: “‘And it’s off the bar’ — Guy Mowbray as Harry Kane’s shot gets well blocked by a Ghana player for a corner low to the ground. Honestly the BBC coverage just gets worse.”

Mowbray and co-commentator Alan Shearer did provide sharper analysis later in the half, picking up on England manager Thomas Tuchel’s animated instructions from the technical area. Mowbray noted Tuchel had moved to the edge of the area in visible frustration, while Shearer identified the tactical issue: “He was telling either Anthony [Gordon] or Djed Spence to get up in that position. When Gordon went inside, there was nothing on the outside of him. That’s why Tuchel’s going mad down on the sideline. It’s still too slow.”

The commentary slip added to a difficult tournament so far for the BBC’s World Cup operation, which has already faced criticism from viewers over the broadcaster’s decision not to send pundits to the United States. The BBC has instead leaned on an immersive studio setup it says will “transport viewers to 16 cities across three host nations,” and has opted against a Match of the Day-style nightly round-up, publishing individual fixture highlights separately.