Ian Wright fires barb at BBC amid World Cup studio row after praising ITV: 'How it should be done'

Presenter Mark Pougatch couldn't hide his excitement as he introduced the location.

"Welcome to our New York loft apartment, home for six weeks of coverage of the World Cup," he said. "We hope you will love this view as much as we do, a view of the buildings of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge."

He even had to reassure audiences: "You are thinking it must be AI; I promise you it is real."

The pundits were equally blown away by their surroundings.

Roy Keane summed it up simply: "Amazing, fantastic."

Ian Wright went even further, making clear this was exactly what football's biggest tournament deserves.

"It's amazing, unbelievable set," Wright said. "It's the World Cup, it should be this, it should be grand, massive."

The Arsenal legend's comments were widely seen as a pointed contrast to the BBC's more modest approach this summer.

It's fair to say ITV has made quite the statement with their lavish American base, and their star pundits clearly love it.

The BBC has taken a rather different path for its tournament coverage, opting to keep things closer to home in Salford.

The corporation's director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski has defended the decision, pointing to the eye-watering costs of shipping an entire operation across the Atlantic.

"To have what would probably be an extra couple of hundred people out there – and that's before you build a studio – you're talking millions," he told the Daily Mail.

"I don't think that is a very clever way of me to spend licence fee money."

The BBC has invested in a state-of-the-art studio featuring a giant LED screen capable of displaying computer-generated cityscapes from all 16 host venues.

The rivalry between the two broadcasters runs deeper than just studio locations, according to Keane.

Speaking on Sky Bet's Road To American series ahead of the tournament, the former Manchester United captain acknowledged there's genuine tension between the punditry teams.

"The rivalry between the BBC and ITV pundits is a bit strange, but I think it's good that there's a bit of tension," Keane said. "I think you need a bit of competition. Let's not kid ourselves, there is definitely tension."

He suggested the focus on viewing figures behind the scenes filters through to the on-screen talent, with both networks keenly aware of the ratings battle.