BBC Two TV Guide — Thursday, 25 June 2026

Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Ania Magliano, Joe Swash and Jasmine Takhar test their general knowledge skills in the penultimate round of challenges

Michael Portillo scales the Swiss Alps on one of the steepest cog railways in the world. He also visits the 19th-century fairy-tale Grand Hotel Giessbach, and winds up at the Swiss Woodcarving Museum, where he chisels the cheeks of a king

England v New Zealand. Action from the first day of the Third and final Test in the series from Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The teams last met here in this format in 2022, when England claimed a five-wicket triumph, with Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow all scoring centuries for the victors

In Eastbourne, a routine day at the station changes in an instant when a boat catches fire just outside the harbour. In Trevone, north Cornwall, 18-year-old lifeguard Alfie races to the rescue of a surfer caught in a notorious rip current. On the Northumberland coast, the Blyth crew face a frantic search for a dog that's been swept out by the tide

Curaçao v Ivory Coast (Kick-off 9.00pm). Coverage of the Group E match at Philadelphia Stadium in the USA. With no World Cup experience to speak of, Curaçao will rely heavily on their Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, who has enjoyed an extensive career in both club and international football, the latter including three spells in charge of the Netherlands, in addition to roles at the helm of the UAE, South Korea, Belgium, Russia, Serbia and Iraq. This will be his second tournament in the dugout for The Blue Wave having led them at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup when they failed to progress beyond the group stage after drawing with El Salvador and Canada, before losing to Honduras. Ivory Coast are managed by Emerse Faé, who earned 41 caps as a player after initially having represented his native France at under-21 level, and was appointed to this job midway through the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after stepping up from his role in charge of the under-23s, upon which he led them to win the tournament

Insights and global interviews on the news stories of the day with Paddy O'Connell

Japan v Sweden (Kick-off 12.00am). Coverage of the Group F match at Dallas Stadium in the USA. At their seven previous appearances at the finals Japan have progressed to the knockout stage four times, including at the two previous tournaments in 2018 and 2022. While they finished strongly four years ago with a 2-1 win over Spain that saw them top the table, a 1-0 loss to Poland in Volgograd eight years ago meant they had to rely on Senegal also losing in their clash against Colombia and also becoming the first nation to benefit from the fair play rule to break a tied record with the unfortunate Africans. In another memorable first, Japan became the first Asian country to compete at an international tournament when they appeared in the football competition at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and on that occasion, they claimed a 3-2 victory over Sweden, which was seen as a massive shock at the time