TV Guide UK Tonight: Sun 28 Jun 2026 – World Cup Round of 32, Death in Paradise & Free Nelson Mandela

Published: 27 June 2026

Sunday 28 June 2026. The World Cup knockouts kick off tonight — the Round of 32 lands on ITV1 from 7:15pm, with an 8pm start from Los Angeles. BBC One has the comfort of Death in Paradise at 9pm and a terrestrial premiere for Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare at 10:30pm. Free Nelson Mandela signs off on Channel 4 at 9pm. And yes, the EastEnders omnibus is on — BBC Three, 8pm.

Quick Picks: Tonight’s Best

• ⭐ World Cup Round of 32 ITV1, 7:15pm (kick-off 8pm). Win or go home. The knockout stage starts here.
• Death in Paradise BBC One, 9pm. Florence’s undercover job goes badly wrong at a murder scene.
• Free Nelson Mandela Channel 4, 9pm. The finale — Sun City, Wembley, and Mandela walks free.
• Challengers BBC Three, 9pm. Zendaya’s tennis love-triangle. Better than it has any right to be.
• The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare BBC One, 10:30pm. Terrestrial premiere. Henry Cavill, Nazis, mayhem.
• Antiques Roadshow BBC One, 8pm. Belfast Botanic Gardens, with early Seamus Heaney poetry in the mix.

Sport

Cricket: Today at the Test – England v New Zealand – BBC Two, 7pm

Day-four highlights from the third Test. A quick catch-up before the evening turns to football. Free on BBC One and iPlayer.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Round of 32 – ITV1, 7:15pm (kick-off 8pm) ⭐

The group stage is done and the knockouts begin here, live from Los Angeles. No second chances now — lose and you’re out, which tends to drag the best out of a tournament. Even as a neutral game it’s the live event of the night. Coverage from 7:15pm, kick-off 8pm. Free on ITV1 and ITVX.

Early Evening

Countryfile – BBC One, 6:30pm

The Sunday-evening staple, out and about in the British countryside. BBC iPlayer.

EastEnders Omnibus – BBC Three, 8pm

Missed Walford this week? The omnibus runs the week’s episodes back to back. There’s no new Sunday instalment — the next fresh episode is Monday 29 June at 7:30pm on BBC One. BBC iPlayer.

Antiques Roadshow – BBC One, 8pm

Fiona Bruce sets up at Belfast’s Botanic Gardens, and the queue brings some real finds — early poetry by Seamus Heaney among them, plus an object with a genuine claim to motorcycling history. Reliable Sunday viewing. BBC iPlayer.

Prime Time

Death in Paradise – BBC One, 9pm

Florence is working undercover, which is exactly the kind of setup this show needs every now and then to keep itself honest. It goes wrong fast: she lands at the scene of a murder she’s supposed to be observing from a safe distance, and Neville has to untangle it before her cover collapses. A 2022 episode, but a good one. BBC iPlayer.

Free Nelson Mandela – Channel 4, 9pm (SERIES FINALE)

The series has told the anti-apartheid story through its music, and the last part is the payoff: the Sun City protest single, the Wembley concert beamed to hundreds of millions, US banks pulling their money, and finally Mandela walking free. The archive does a lot of the heavy lifting and it’s all the better for it. Channel 4 streaming.

Challengers – BBC Three, 9pm

Zendaya as a former tennis star turned coach, steering her husband through a comeback while his old friend and rival keeps turning up on the other side of the net. Luca Guadagnino directs it like a thriller, all sweat and tight close-ups, and it moves quicker than a film about tennis admin has any business doing. BBC iPlayer.

My Epic Camel Adventure with Gordon Buchanan – BBC Two, 8pm

Buchanan heads into the Gobi with nomadic herders to track the wild Bactrian camel, one of the rarer animals he’s gone after. Proper wildlife-camera patience. BBC iPlayer.

Murder Trial: Body in the Warehouse – BBC Two, 9pm (NEW SERIES)

The courtroom documentary strand returns, following a real murder case from the inside as a jury works through the evidence. Tense and sober. BBC iPlayer.

Late Night

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare – BBC One, 10:30pm

First time on terrestrial telly for Guy Ritchie’s 2024 World War II romp, with Henry Cavill heading up a scruffy band of agents sent to sabotage Nazi U-boats off the coast of west Africa. It plays fast and loose with the facts and doesn’t much care — it’s here for the swagger. BBC iPlayer.

Back to Black – BBC Two, 10pm

The 2024 Amy Winehouse biopic, with Marisa Abela carrying the rise and the wreckage behind the album that made her name. BBC iPlayer.

Taylor: A Story of Love – Channel 4, 11pm

A documentary on how Taylor Swift’s love life keeps ending up in her songs, and what that’s done for the biggest pop career on the planet. Channel 4 streaming.

DNA Journey – ITV1, 10:55pm

Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan trace their family trees, which is mostly an excuse for the two of them to wind each other up across several countries. Free on ITV1 and ITVX.

The Viewing Schedule

What’s On Streaming

• ITVX: World Cup Round of 32, DNA Journey
• BBC iPlayer: Death in Paradise, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Antiques Roadshow, My Epic Camel Adventure, Murder Trial: Body in the Warehouse, Back to Black, Challengers, EastEnders omnibus
• Channel 4 streaming: Free Nelson Mandela, Taylor: A Story of Love

Frequently Asked Questions

What time does the World Cup Round of 32 start tonight?

ITV1, coverage from 7:15pm and kick-off at 8pm UK time. It’s the first knockout game of the tournament, played in Los Angeles. Free on ITV1 and ITVX.

Is EastEnders on Sunday 28 June 2026?

There’s no new Sunday episode, but the weekly omnibus is on BBC Three at 8pm. New episodes run Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One — the next is Monday 29 June. All on BBC iPlayer.

What’s the best thing to watch on TV tonight (Sunday 28 June 2026)?

The World Cup Round of 32 on ITV1 from 7:15pm (kick-off 8pm) as the knockouts begin. Death in Paradise is on BBC One at 9pm, Free Nelson Mandela ends on Channel 4 at 9pm, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare gets its terrestrial premiere on BBC One at 10:30pm.

What channel is Death in Paradise on tonight and what happens?

BBC One at 9pm. Florence’s undercover job goes wrong when she ends up at a murder scene, leaving Neville to crack the case fast. A 2022 episode, on BBC iPlayer.

Is this the last episode of Free Nelson Mandela?

Yes — the finale, Channel 4 at 9pm. It covers the Sun City single, the Wembley concert, US banks pulling out of South Africa, and Mandela’s release. On Channel 4 streaming.

Final Verdict

Tonight’s headline is the World Cup Round of 32 on ITV1 from 7:15pm (kick-off 8pm) — the knockouts begin, and a neutral tie still beats most of what’s around it. Death in Paradise on BBC One at 9pm is the easy drama pick, Free Nelson Mandela closes strongly on Channel 4 at the same time, and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a fun late film on BBC One at 10:30pm. No new EastEnders tonight, but the omnibus is on BBC Three at 8pm — new episodes back Monday.

Related: What’s On TV Tonight Sunday | What’s On TV Tonight Sat 27 Jun 2026 | What’s On TV Tonight Mon 29 Jun 2026