American sports broadcaster Semra Hunter will anchor ITV’s coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Laura Woods and Mark Pougatch from an iconic rooftop studio in New York.
The 39-year-old Los Angeles native, who once harbored dreams of becoming a professional football player, transitions to the global stage as the tournament kicks off across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Stationed in a custom-built facility overlooking the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge, Hunter will front a broadcast operation packed with legendary pundits and celebrity guests.
Long before establishing herself as a leading voice in European football, Hunter’s primary ambition was to play the game at the highest level.
Raised in California, she dedicated her youth to competitive soccer. However, a severe injury at age 16 permanently derailed her athletic ambitions and forced her to rethink her career trajectory.
Reflecting on the pivotal moment, Hunter credited her mother with steering her toward sports journalism.
After earning a degree in International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, she leaned into her multicultural roots.
Her mother, who had lived in Colombia and Mexico, had taught her Spanish from a young age.
Hunter used this to her advantage, completing a master’s degree in communication and sports journalism at the Real Madrid International School (UEM) in Spain—undertaking the entire curriculum in Spanish.
Hunter’s path to the World Cup is a masterclass in journalistic versatility.
She began her journey as an intern for Al-Jazeera Sport before securing a dual-language role at Real Madrid TV, where she spent two-and-a-half years writing, editing, producing, and presenting her own shows in both English and Spanish.
Her career then took her to Istanbul, Turkey, where she worked as a principal sports anchor and correspondent for TRT World’s flagship program, Beyond the Game.
During her tenure in Istanbul, she traveled across the globe to cover major international sporting events, including the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament in France.
In 2018, she returned to Spain to join the newly launched La Liga TV, becoming one of the most prominent English-speaking experts on Spanish football.
Over the years, her portfolio expanded to include freelance work for Sky Sports News, DAZN, and the BBC, as well as hosting the preliminary UEFA qualification draws for the 2026 tournament.
For this tournament, ITV Sport has designed an immersive coverage plan operating out of a studio by the Brooklyn Bridge.
Hunter will co-present a culturally focused segment alongside American television personality Adam Richman, famously known as the host of Man v Food.
This specific section of the studio will act as a cultural hub for the tournament, examining the biggest social trends, fan interactions, and viral moments surrounding the expanded 48-team event.
The duo will be joined by various celebrity guests throughout the month-long festival of football.
The broadcast network’s main pundit line-up features some of the most outspoken and revered names in football history, including Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Ian Wright, Patrick Vieira, Ange Postecoglou, and United States Women’s National Team manager Emma Hayes.
The broadcasting heavyweights will face stiff ratings competition from the BBC, which announced an equally expansive lineup featuring veteran broadcaster Gabby Logan making television history during the tournament.