Juan Mata, Emma Hayes and Postecoglou to analyse Spain v Cape Verde at World Cup 2026

ITV has named its on-air team for Spain’s World Cup 2026 Group F opener against Cape Verde at Atlanta Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 5pm UK time on Monday.

Mark Pougatch presents from New York, joined by a panel of three pundits: Juan Mata, Emma Hayes and Ange Postecoglou. Sam Matterface takes the commentary microphone with former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon as lead summariser.

Mata brings direct experience of Spain’s World Cup history, having been part of the squad that lifted the trophy in South Africa in 2010. The 38-year-old is currently playing for A-League club Melbourne Victory — a side previously managed by fellow pundit Postecoglou, adding an unlikely thread of continuity to the panel.

Hayes joins having completed a successful first season as head coach of the United States Women’s National Team, a role she took up after 12 years at Chelsea Women. During her time at Kingsmeadow she won 16 major honours, including seven Women’s Super League titles and five FA Cups, before leaving at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

Postecoglou, meanwhile, has been without a club since his brief and troubled spell at Nottingham Forest ended midway through last season after just 39 days and eight games without a win. That stint followed his tenure at Tottenham, where he guided the club to Europa League glory.

Dixon’s summariser role draws on a 14-year Arsenal career in which he won four league titles and two FA Cups among ten major honours. He earned 22 England caps but never featured in a major international tournament as a player.

Spain, bidding for a second World Cup title, enter the tournament as heavy favourites against a Cape Verde side ranked 67th in the FIFA world rankings. The Group F fixture at Atlanta Stadium is the sides’ first-ever meeting at a World Cup.