Soccer Aid is set to take place on Sunday, May 31, but ITV’s hosts are in talks with bosses over missing rehearsals due to Arsenal’s Champions League final against PSG
08:43, 21 May 2026
Soccer Aid will take place at the London Stadium later this month(Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Champions League final showdown with Paris Saint-Germain has thrown this year’s Soccer Aid into turmoil.
The annual charity clash between an England XI and a Rest of the World side is due to take place at West Ham’s London Stadium on Sunday, May 31.
While the event itself remains unaffected, the presenting lineup for the occasion is far less certain. Dermot O’Leary and former Arsenal star Alex Scott are scheduled to front the ITV broadcast, yet both are in discussions with producers about missing rehearsals due to the Champions League final.
Arsenal face PSG in Budapest the day before, with both Scott and O’Leary eager to be in attendance. Soccer Aid organisers, however, are pushing for both presenters to remain in the UK to fulfil their rehearsal commitments.
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Speaking on Radio 5 Live, O’Leary said: “We are in negotiations at the moment. It’s not looking good. Ticket is ok. The problem is my contractual obligation to Soccer Aid. The Champions League final is the day before – it’s a huge problem for me.”
When asked whether he required rehearsals, he replied: “I don’t.” He then suggested that “everyone else involved” needed a run-through. O’Leary added: “Also I’m doing it with Alex Scott, one of the Arsenal greats.
“No. Right now, we’re in a perilous state of negotiation, put it that way, which I don’t think we’re going to win.
Dermot O’Leary and Alex Scott are due to front ITV’s coverage of Soccer Aid(Image: Getty Images)
“It’s just people getting nervous understandably about us not getting on said flights and not making it. And also they want to rehearse on Saturday, bearing in mind I’m a producer of Soccer Aid.”
Despite his reluctance to attend rehearsals, O’Leary was careful not to diminish the significance of the occasion itself: “It’s quite a responsibility to be there. I do take it quite seriously – it’s for charity.”
Several high-profile names have already been confirmed for this year’s Soccer Aid. Former England internationals Joe Hart, Wayne Rooney, Theo Walcott, Jill Scott, Steph Houghton and Toni Duggan are all set to feature, with celebrity support coming from the likes of Paddy McGuinness, Owen Cooper, Angry Ginge and many more.
Meanwhile, Edwin van der Sar, Leonardo Bonucci and Jordi Alba will line up alongside Chris O’Dowd, Maisie Adam and Simon Neil for the World XI.
The Soccer Aid rehearsal dispute comes in the wake of Declan Rice’s passionate plea for Arsenal supporters to make the journey to Budapest in their droves.
Speaking following the Gunners’ semi-final victory over Atletico Madrid, he said: “Bring it on, bring it on, I’ll be ready. I want every Arsenal fan out there, 200,000 of you, come out. Let’s try and do it because we’re going to need all the support, all the energy and let’s make it special.”
