Emmerdale has undergone a schedule shake-up this week on ITV and ITVX

Emmerdale fans will be disappointed tonight (Thursday 9 October) as the ITV soap has been hit with a huge schedule shake-up.

The soap typically airs on weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV with an hour-long special on Thursdays. Each episode is also available to watch ahead of time on ITVX.

However, on Thursday, Emmerdale has been pulled off air for the Live International Football between England and Wales, marking their first encounter since England’s 3-0 victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Broadcasting of the match, which will take place at Wembley Stadium, starts at 7pm with kick-off at 7:45pm, it will air until 10.05pm, followed by the ITV News at Ten until 10.35pm.

Yet Emmerdale fans can look forward to its return on Friday night as the ITV soap will be back with a 30-minute instalment at its usual time of 7:30pm.

However, the scheduling shake-up doesn’t end there, as the soap will face further changes on Tuesday, October 14.

Emmerdale will once again be pulled from the ITV schedule to make room for the FIFA World Cup Group K qualifier match between Latvia and England.

This match will kick off at 7.45pm at the Daugava Stadium in Riga, with live coverage running from 7pm to 10.05pm. Emmerdale will resume its regular broadcasting for the remainder of the week.

Taking to Twitter, now X, viewers have been quick to share their disappointment over the football interrupting their soap instalment.

One person said: “Yep-Us twitter fans are not impressed with the schedulers (re the football)! #Emmerdale”, a different account put: “No emmerdale on the 9th and 14th october then i presume??? the football is so annoying #robron #emmerdale” while another added: “More Scheduling shanagans (thanks to football on Thursday 9th & Tuesday 14th October.) #Emmerdale.”

It comes amid an explosive time for the hit ITV soap with John Sugden’s crimes finally being exposed with the criminal now abroad and on the run.

Elsewhere, Celia Daniels’ real identity was finally exposed as she was revealed to be the criminal mastermind orchestrating the recent village drugs operation.

Also in the village, Charity Dingle, who has agreed to be a surrogate for granddaughter Sarah Sugden, is hiding a huge secret as the baby isn’t Sarah’s or Charity’s husband Mack Boyd, it is in fact her ex Ross Barton’s child following a night of passion.

Charity has gone to great lengths to hide this fact, even enlisting her son Ryan Stocks to edit the paternity test results so it says Ross isn’t the father despite the fact he is.