Huge ITV schedule shake up as This Morning and Loose Women are pulled off air today
LOOSE Women and This Morning are set to be pulled off air today – but for good reason.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off with Australia taking on Ireland at 11am – clashing with ITV’s usual daytime programmes.
Our Lionesses will take centre stage at New Zealand’s Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday when they go head-to-head with Haiti.
This Morning, which usually airs at 10am tweeted: “Today we’ll be tuning in to the @FIFAWWC on @ITV, so we’ll be back on Friday.”
Fans aren’t upset by the change of schedule and have been sharing their excitement ahead of the huge tournament.
“So excited for the Women’s World Cup! As a little girl, I don’t think I could ever have dreamt that women’s football would even be allowed to fill stadiums. I’m so happy that for today’s little girls, this is normal,” one wrote.
England have their eyes on the prize this summer following last year’s European Championship triumph.
However, Sarina Wiegman has been forced to make some major changes to her squad.
Captain Leah Williamson was ruled out of the tournament in April after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during a Women’s Super League match against Manchester United.
Her Arsenal team-mate Beth Mead has also been left out of the squad with the same injury.
And Chelsea midfielder Fran Kirby, who has been a mainstay in the England team since 2015, underwent knee surgery in May, so she will be unavailable for a “significant period” of time.
Wiegman has been handed some severe selection headaches this summer, with several young stars bursting onto the international scene.
Chelsea ace Lauren James, who narrowly missed out on a spot in last summer’s squad, has travelled to Australia along with Manchester City defender Esme Morgan and Brighton winger Katie Robinson.
Established WSL stars Jordan Nobbs, Niamh Charles and Katie Zelem also made the trip.