Robyn Cowen
It is no surprise, really, how good Cowen has been as a commentator during this tournament given her experience in the role, most notably during Euro 2022, when she was the BBC’s lead voice during England Women’s march to historic glory. Cowen has carried her excellent levels of professionalism and enthusiasm into what is her second men’s European Championship, demonstrated most emphatically so far with her narration of Portugal’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Czech Republic on Tuesday. One of the few female commentators currently working for a major UK broadcaster, Cowen remains a skilled and crucial trailblazer.
Guy Mowbray
Being the BBC’s principal England commentator is not easy. It is a role steeped in history and which carries with it great responsibility, and quite frankly it is not said enough how well Mowbray has fulfilled the role for many years now. His is a swaggering, growling voice that regularly captures the drama – good and bad – that characterises the national team’s fortunes at major tournaments, and that has well and truly been the case again in Germany. Mowbray’s “Goodness me, that was a hard watch at times” signoff following England’s 1-1 draw with Denmark on Thursday was characteristically spot on.
Ashley Williams
This is not Williams’s best European Championship. That will always be Euro 2016, when he captained Wales to the semi-finals having scored in their stunning quarter-final win over Belgium, but this is another in which he has impressed with how clear and forthright he has been as a BBC pundit. Williams demonstrated those traits in his analysis of Georgia’s goal in their 3-1 defeat to Turkey on Tuesday, explaining emphatically how it was Turkey’s midfielders more than their centre-backs who were at fault for Georges Mikautadze’s strike. That may have been an unsurprising thing for a former centre-back to say, but he made his case typically well.
Cesc Fàbregas
Fàbregas is something of a veteran voice on the BBC, having first been employed by the broadcaster for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but as he is one of surprisingly few overseas voices covering this tournament for either UK terrestrial broadcaster, his presence in Germany feels noteworthy, especially given that he has again provided calm and smart analysis. The former Spain midfielder has also provided the funniest punditry moment so far with his response, during England’s 1-0 win over Serbia last Sunday, to Rio Ferdinand asking if he had ever lined up alongside a player as talented and commanding as Jude Bellingham. “Well, I played with Lionel Messi,” said Fàbregas in brilliantly deadpan fashion.
Andros Townsend
Being a co-commentator is not easy, what with the need to reflect the atmosphere and mood within the stadium while also providing fast and sharp analysis, but Townsend has done that well in what is his debut in the role at tournament level. The former England winger hit the ground running during ITV’s coverage of Switzerland’s 3-1 victory over Hungary on the opening Saturday alongside Clive Tyldesley – the veteran commentator who is again excelling behind the microphone in Germany – and has continued in that vein since. A star truly is born.
