ITV has retained the exclusive TV rights in the UK to the England team's qualifying matches for the 2020 Uefa European Championship and the 2022 Fifa World Cup, with Sky Sports picking up coverage of other games, reports, www.sportspromedia.com/.

The free-to-air commercial broadcaster, which currently has a deal in place until the end of the current World Cup qualifying competition, will also show warm-up games ahead of the two major tournaments.

Sky Sports, meanwhile, has taken the rights to England friendly matches, which will form the basis of the new Uefa Nations League competition after next year's World Cup in Russia. The pay-TV giant has also held on to the UK rights to matches played Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

ITV director of sport Niall Sloane said: "England on ITV has become a central feature of our sports coverage and we're delighted to be able to continue to bring to viewers free to air, all the action from the team's qualifying campaigns through to 2022."

Barney Francis, the managing director of Sky Sports, added: "Showing England in competitive matches exclusively live for the first time in seven years is great news for our viewers with the UEFA Nations League putting the top nations against each other regularly. Added to the recent success of Wales and Northern Ireland in reaching major tournaments, there is even more reason to follow the Home Nations on Sky Sports."

TV rights to European international matches were centralised by Uefa in 2012, and are sold by the bespoke CAA Eleven agency.