BBC Sport Swaps Green Screen for LED Volume in World Cup 2026 Studio

BBC Sport used an LED volume and extended reality (XR) workflow for its coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026, moving away from the green-screen approach that had supported its major tournament and domestic broadcasts for roughly a decade, according to a report by Sports Video Group.

Writing from studio HQ3 at MediaCity Studios—formerly known as Dock10—SVG's Will Strauss described a setup in which presenters and pundits appeared in front of recreated North American city skylines. An LED floor served as a space for tactical analysis, while XR graphics extended the physical set for on-screen storytelling.

According to the report, the system took more than a year to develop but was assembled in little over two weeks ahead of transmission. The transition required broadcasters, designers, engineers and technology partners to rethink established production methods. SVG noted that reproducing the city backgrounds involved accounting for every camera angle and shot, as well as which buildings viewers would recognise, which became a substantial project on its own.