ITV upgrades Emma Hayes’ tactics corner after sexism storm over ‘kitchen’ set

ITV pundit Emma Hayes received an upgrade to the set used for her tactical analysis after the kitchen-esque design initially sparked something of a sexism row at World Cup 2026. Hayes, who is the current US women’s team manager and whose seven Women’s Super League titles during her time at Chelsea made her one of the most highly-respected tacticians in world football, delivered tactical insights during England’s impressive opening 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday. It took the focus away from her analysis of England’s performance and led The Independent’s Louis Chilton to write that Hayes deserved better than a sexist World Cup gimmick from ITV.

By Jason Griffith for PeeDeeWire

Yahoo Sports reports: ITV pundit Emma Hayes received an upgrade to the set used for her tactical analysis after the kitchen-esque design initially sparked something of a sexism row at World Cup 2026. Hayes, who is the current US women’s team manager and whose seven Women’s Super League titles during her time at Chelsea made her one of the most highly-respected tacticians in world football, delivered tactical insights during England’s impressive opening 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday. It took the focus away from her analysis of England’s performance and led The Independent’s Louis Chilton to write that Hayes deserved better than a sexist World Cup gimmick from ITV.