High winds force ITV's Laura Woods and pundits off rooftop World Cup studio in New York

ITV’s World Cup presenting team was forced off their rooftop studio in Brooklyn mid-broadcast after high winds made live coverage untenable, with presenter Laura Woods and pundits Juan Mata, Patrick Vieira and Karen Carney relocating to an indoor back-up set inside the same apartment complex.

The broadcaster had set up its flagship studio on the roof of a luxury apartment block in Dumbo — Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass — offering views of the Manhattan skyline, Brooklyn Bridge and the Hudson River. The outdoor setting had been well received since the tournament began, but conditions deteriorated sharply during coverage of Switzerland’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, with sound becoming distorted and those on air visibly battered by gusts.

The team returned shortly after from a sheltered indoor set within the same building. Woods addressed viewers directly: “We have relocated downstairs and inside to get away from the wind. Just to give you an idea of just how windy it was — day one of the US Open was also suspended, and they’re not far from us. So, listen, ultimately, very windy. But inside here it’s absolutely great.”

The disruption came on the same day that fog temporarily halted play at the US Open in Long Island, underlining the broader weather challenges facing events across the New York area.

ITV’s outdoor setup contrasts with that of rival BBC, whose World Cup studio operation is based entirely at Media City in Salford. The Brooklyn location had been considered a visual asset for ITV’s coverage, though Sunday’s conditions exposed the risks of broadcasting outdoors in changeable coastal weather.

Concerns about extreme weather affecting World Cup fixtures themselves have so far gone unrealised. Last year’s Club World Cup in the United States was significantly disrupted by electrical storms, with six matches suspended — including Chelsea’s last-16 tie against Benfica, which was halted in the 86th minute and completed two hours later. England’s warm-up friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando also suffered a one-hour delay to kick-off. No comparable interruptions have affected the current tournament’s opening matches.