The World Cup semi-finals take place on July 14 and 15, determining Sunday's finalists and bringing an end to the disruptive schedule changes for ITV soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale, as well as BBC's EastEnders. The football tournament, which began on June 11, has caused significant scheduling chaos, with ITV coverage running until July 19.
New soap scheduling pattern disrupted
Earlier this year, Coronation Street and Emmerdale adopted a new 'soap power hour' format on ITV, featuring half-hour episodes back-to-back nightly instead of the previous three hour-long Corrie episodes and a weekly hour-long Emmerdale. However, the World Cup has frequently interrupted this pattern, while Wimbledon coverage has also moved some BBC episodes from BBC1 to BBC2.
Coronation Street schedule this week
Coronation Street airs on the following dates and times: Monday, July 13 at 8:30pm (half-hour episode), Tuesday, July 14 – no episode, Wednesday, July 15 at 9:00pm (hour-long episode), Thursday, July 16 at 8:30pm (half-hour episode), and Friday, July 17 at 8:30pm (half-hour episode). The hour-long episode on Wednesday compensates for Tuesday's absence.
Recent plots include Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) being shocked after Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien) confessed to murdering Theo Silverton (James Cartwright). Upcoming drama involves the Connor-Swain family as Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) is rushed to hospital, and Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) struggles with the arrival of Tyrone Dobbs' (Alan Halsall) biological father, Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield). Episodes are available to stream on ITVX and YouTube from 7am on the day of broadcast.
Emmerdale schedule this week
Emmerdale airs on Monday, July 13 at 8:00pm (half-hour episode), Tuesday, July 14 – no episode, Wednesday, July 15 at 8:00pm (hour-long episode), Thursday, July 16 at 8:00pm (half-hour episode), and Friday, July 17 at 8:00pm (half-hour episode). Wednesday's hour-long episode makes up for Tuesday's hiatus.
Key storylines include Kev Townsend (Chris Coghill) informing Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) that his cousin Serena Sugden (Casey Al-Shaqsy) is a police officer. Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) deals with the aftermath of his fight with Ross Barton (Michael Parr), which ended with Ross falling from a mezzanine balcony. Additionally, Gabby Thomas (Rosie Bentham) faces challenges as her relationship with food affects her parenting of son Thomas. Episodes stream on ITVX and YouTube from 7am on the day of airing.
EastEnders schedule this week
EastEnders airs on Monday, July 13 at 7:30pm, Tuesday, July 14 at 7:30pm, Wednesday, July 15 – no episode due to World Cup semi-final on BBC One, Thursday, July 16 at 7:30pm, and Friday, July 17 at 7:30pm. The schedule remains largely unchanged except for Wednesday's cancellation.
In Walford, Denise Fox (Diane Parish) returns home from hospital but has not disclosed that her cancer treatment has been less effective than hoped. She struggles to readjust as her family has adapted to a new routine. Meanwhile, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) clashes with Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan), and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) considers his future after announcing he will plead guilty at his hearing. Episodes are available on BBC iPlayer from 6am on the day of broadcast.
This article was originally published on July 6, 2026.
