ITV get Brazil 2014 opener, BBC to air first England game as group fixtures are allocated

The 2014 World Cup group stage games have been divided up by rival British broadcasters BBC and ITV, meaning football fans now know whether they will have to tolerate the musings of Adrian Chiles and chums or Gary Lineker and friends for the matches they look forward to most.
The opener between hosts Brazil and Croatia will be on ITV, while the Beeb kick their coverage off the following day with the marquee clash between champions Spain and the Netherlands, a rematch from the ill-tempered 2010 final in South Africa.
England’s big curtain-raiser against Italy – the side who dumped Roy Hodgson’s men out of Euro 2012 on penalties – also goes to the BBC, with ITV screening the following two England games against Uruguay and Costa Rica.
ITV will not be expecting huge numbers for the June 14 tie between Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast and Shinji Kagawa’s Japan, which after some reshuffles will be the only game kicking off at 2am GMT.
BBC have first pick for last-16 and semi-final fixtures, with ITV going first once the quarter-finals are finalised.
And, as ever, both channels will be simultaneously airing the final on July 13, giving British viewers the privilege of picking between Alan Shearer or Roy Keane for their dose of expert analysis for the biggest football game of the calendar year.
Or, you know, they can just watch on mute…
Here’s the full television rundown for the group stages:
12 June
9pm ITV Brazil v Croatia
13 June
5pm ITV Mexico v Cameroon
8pm BBC Spain v Netherlands
11pm ITV Chile v Australia
14 June
5pm BBC Colombia v Greece
8pm ITV Uruguay v Costa Rica
11pm BBC England v Italy
2am ITV Ivory Coast v Japan
15 June
5pm ITV Switzerland v Ecuador
8pm BBC France v Honduras
11pm BBC Argentina v Bosnia
16 June
5pm ITV Germany v Portugal
8pm BBC Iran v Nigeria
11pm BBC Ghana v USA
17 June
5pm ITV Belgium v Algeria
8pm BBC Brazil v Mexico
11pm BBC Russia v South Korea
18 June
5pm ITV Australia v Holland
8pm BBC Spain v Chile
11pm ITV Cameroon v Croatia
19 June
5pm BBC Colombia v Ivory Coast
8pm ITV England v Uruguay
11pm BBC Japan v Greece
20 June
5pm BBC Italy v Costa Rica
8pm ITV France v Switzerland
11pm ITV Honduras v Ecuador
21 June
5pm ITV Argentina v Iran
8pm BBC Germany v Ghana
11pm BBC Nigeria v Bosnia
22 June
5pm BBC Belgium v Russia
8pm ITV South Korea v Algeria
11pm BBC USA v Portugal
23 June
5pm ITV Australia v Spain
5pm ITV Holland v Chile
9pm ITV Cameroon v Brazil
9pm ITV Croatia v Mexico
24 June
5pm ITV England v Costa Rica
9pm BBC Japan v Colombia
9pm BBC Greece v Ivory Coast
25 June
5pm ITV Nigeria v Argentina
5pm ITV Bosnia v Iran
9pm BBC Ecuador v France
9pm BBC Honduras v Switzerland
26 June
5pm BBC USA V Germany
5pm BBC Portugal v Ghana
9pm ITV South Korea v Belgium
9pm ITV Algeria v Russia