The BBC and ITV are on collision course for a ratings war over the World Cup next summer, with both channels televising every England match and rejecting any deal to show them alternately.

Peter Salmon, BBC's head of sport, is coming under pressure from colleagues to go head-to-head with ITV in the coverage from South Korea and Japan.

BBC officials believe that, given ITV's problems with its football coverage, the time may be ripe to assert the corporation's football broadcasting superiority and kill off any threat ITV might pose in bidding for other football television rights in future. The BBC is also planning to bid for Champions League football next year.

ITV is reckoned to be losing about £1 million sterling a week because of the failure of its digital sports channel to attract subscribers. The channel has also had problems with The Premiership, its weekly Premier League highlights programme which had to be moved from early Saturday evening to a later slot because of poor viewing figures.

BBC and ITV paid £160 million sterling between them for the right to broadcast the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.