Viewers of Emmerdale and Coronation Street should prepare for altered programming this week as ITV shifts its schedule to accommodate live football coverage.

These popular soap operas frequently get rescheduled when football matches are broadcast, and several adjustments have been made to this week’s lineup.

This follows similar changes implemented last week when both programmes were rearranged to make way for England’s fixture against Uruguay on Friday, March 27.

Below is a breakdown of the modifications and which episodes are affected.

The England versus Japan encounter will be shown starting at 7pm on ITV1 on Tuesday, March 31, with the match beginning at 7.45pm.

Because this extends into the regular soap time slots, both Emmerdale and Coronation Street have adjusted their typical broadcasting times.

Emmerdale normally occupies the 8pm slot on ITV1 from Monday through Friday, but the episode scheduled for Tuesday, March 31 will not air.

Instead, an Emmerdale instalment will be broadcast on Sunday, April 5 at 7pm.

Coronation Street typically airs at 8.30pm on the same channel Monday through Friday, but Tuesday’s episode will also be skipped.

In its place, Coronation Street fans can catch a new episode on Sunday, April 5 at 7.30pm.

However, that’s not all, as both programmes will air earlier than usual on Thursday, April 2 and Friday, April 3.

Emmerdale will begin at 7.30pm while Coronation Street will start at 8pm on both Thursday and Friday, meaning each show airs 30 minutes earlier than normal.

In 2025, ITV revealed modifications to its soap schedule, affecting both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

From January 2026, the broadcaster implemented a weekday “soaps power hour” featuring 30-minute Emmerdale episodes at 8pm followed by 30-minute Coronation Street episodes at 8.30pm.

Previously, Coronation Street aired three hour-long episodes each week, while Emmerdale broadcast four 30-minute episodes and one hour-long instalment.

During May 2025, ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall stated the company was making “good progress” with its cost-reduction efforts, anticipating £30 million in non-content savings throughout 2025.

ITV additionally made alterations to prominent daytime programming, including Good Morning Britain and Lorraine.

From January of this year, Good Morning Britain was extended by half an hour, while Lorraine Kelly’s morning programme was shortened to 30 minutes for 30 weeks annually.