Being the home broadcaster for a World Cup is one of the biggest honors in sports television, this year, that honor largely goes to Fox Sports, the licensed broadcaster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the United States (in english). Fox Sports will have the best access of any broadcaster to the tournament and its players and personalities and will be responsible for producing the world feed for key matches including the tournament final. In short, much of what fans see on their screens globally, will be dictated by Fox Sports, while fans watching in the United States will watching the tournament with Fox, either digitally or via traditional television.
With rising ticket prices pricing many fans out of attending the tournament, the on-screen product is more important than ever, as the official World Cup movie will be played out across our screens this summer.
Fox Sports Reveals World Cup Coverage Plans
Fox Sports put out a press release today explaining their production plans. The highlights include 340 hours of programming, 70 matches on the free to air Fox Network, extra pre-game time for games featuring the US Men’s National Team, and the expanded use of the digital streaming product TUBI. The remaining World Cup matches will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1, a paid cable channel.
Fox Sports 1 will also host FIFA World Cup Today, a daily wrap up show for the tournament, that will later transition to Fox, as Fox Sports is going all in on using their widely watched Fox network to broadcast most of the tournament. Top matches in the group stage include England vs Croatia, France vs Senegal, and Colombia vs Portugal.
Compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, this is 100 hours more of live coverage of the FIFA World Cup, in time zones that are more favorable for U.S. based fans. The World Cup final in New York/New Jersey will have a three-hour pre-game lead in show.
Fox Sports Third World Cup
For men’s world cups, it’s the third time Fox has covered the tournament on U.S. screens, the 2018 Russia and 2022 Qatar tournaments saw Fox produce their own broadcast package, music, and pre and post-game coverage and analysis for the entire tournament, not just for specific games.
Fox Sports also is the licensed broadcaster to provide coverage for UEFA’s European qualification matches, the upcoming Inter-Confederation Play-offs in Mexico, the UEFA Euros, UEFA Nation’s League, CONCACAF Gold Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup, and Copa America. The Copa America in 2024 was a significant opportunity for Fox to test themselves covering a large scale international tournament played in the United States.
Telemundo Continues To Cover The World Cup in Spanish
Telemundo Deportes will continue to cover the FIFA World Cup in Spanish, that means Fox’s U.S. rival, NBC, which has Premier League rights, and the UEFA Champions League in Spanish, will also have significant influence over coverage of the tournament, especially when teams like Argentina, Spain, and Colombia play their matches.
Telemundo’s broadcast plan includes live crews at every match, 104 matches streaming on Peacock, and 92 matches on free to air Telemundo (12 on Universo as they are the third match of the group stage that is simultaneous).
Telemundo’s coverage has appeal beyond the Spanish speaking world, many english speakers brush up on their spanish and enjoy watching the games with more passion in the broadcast. “During the 2022 World Cup, 30% of the audience on Telemundo and Peacock did not speak the language.” according to NBC.
Where to Watch the World Cup Globally
Outside of the United States, the other two host broadcasters are TSN in Canada (Bell Media), this Canadian powerhouse will provide special coverage of the Canadian men’s national team’s journey during the tournament and other games played in Canada.
Mexico’s TV rights, including to the tournament opener at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City are split between TV Azteca and TelevisaUnivision, who, along with Telemundo, will cover the tournament in spanish and provide a special focus on Mexico’s national team, El Tri. In Mexico, the digital broadcasts will be centered on VIX.
Other major rights holders include the BBC and ITV in the United Kingdom, RAI/Mediaset in Italy, Germany’s ARD/Magenta Sporta and ZDF, South Africa’s SABC, BeIn Sports in the Middle East, Mediapro/RTVE in Spain, M6 and Ligue1+ in France, CMG in China, Grupo Globo/CazeTV/SBT in Brazil, Caracol/Canal RCN and Win Sports + in Colombia, Telefe/TV Publica/TYC Sports in Argentina, and SBS in Australia. These broadcasters will provide a special focus on their national teams, some pre and post game coverage, their own announcers, and draw from the World Feed for video.
Main Photo Credit: SmartFrame Images
