Being the home broadcaster of the World Cup is one of the greatest honors in sports television, and this year this honor was mainly awarded to Fox Sports Channel, which is the authorized broadcaster of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States (English). Fox Sports will have the best access of any broadcaster to the tournament, its players and celebrities, and will be responsible for producing global coverage of key matches, including the tournament finals. In short, much of what fans around the world see on their screens will be dictated by Fox Sports, while fans watching in the U.S. will watch Fox games on digital or traditional television.

With ticket prices rising and many fans unable to attend matches, the screen product is more important than ever as the official World Cup film is set to hit our screens this summer.

Fox Sports unveils plans for World Cup coverage

Fox Sports issued a press release today explaining their production plans. Highlights include 340 hours of programming, 70 free-to-air games on Fox Network, additional pregame time for U.S. Men’s National Team games, and expanded use of digital streaming product TUBI. The remainder of the World Cup games will be broadcast on premium cable channel Fox Sports 1.

Fox Sports 1 will also host the FIFA World Cup daily wrap-up show, which will then be transferred to Fox as Fox Sports fully utilizes its widely followed Fox network to broadcast the majority of the tournament. Popular matches in the group stage include England vs. Croatia, France vs. Senegal, and Colombia vs. Portugal.

Compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the FIFA World Cup will have 100 more hours of live broadcast time and a more favorable time zone for U.S. fans. The World Cup final in New York/New Jersey will feature a three-hour lead-in show before the game.

Fox Sports 3rd World Cup

For the Men’s World Cup, this is the third time Fox has covered the event on U.S. screens, following the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Fox produced its own broadcast package, music, and pre- and post-game coverage and analysis for the entire event, rather than just for specific matches.

Fox Sports is also the authorized broadcaster for the UEFA European Qualifying Tournament, the upcoming continental play-offs in Mexico, the European Cup, the UEFA Nations League, the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the CONCACAF Champions League and the Copa America. The 2024 America’s Cup is an important opportunity for Fox to test itself in a major international event hosted in the United States.

Telemundo continues World Cup coverage in Spanish

Telemundo Deportes will continue to cover the FIFA World Cup in Spanish, meaning Fox’s U.S. rival NBC (which owns the Premier League rights) and the Spanish version of the UEFA Champions League will also have a significant impact on coverage of World Cup events, especially when teams such as Argentina, Spain and Colombia play.

Telemundo’s broadcast plan includes having live crews at every game, with 104 games live on Peacock and 92 free-to-air on Telemundo (12 games live on Universo as they are the third group stage games to be played simultaneously).

Telemundo’s coverage also has appeal outside the Spanish-speaking world, with many English speakers brushing up on their Spanish and enjoying watching the games with more enthusiasm during the broadcasts. “30% of viewers on Telemundo and Peacock during the 2022 World Cup do not speak the language.” According to NBC News.

Where to watch the World Cup around the world

Outside of the United States, the other two host broadcasters are Canada’s TSN (Bell Media), and the Canadian giant will have special coverage of the Canadian men’s national team’s journey during the tournament as well as other games taking place in Canada.

Television rights in Mexico, including for the opening game at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, are split between TV Azteca and TelevisaUnivision, who will join Telemundo in covering the event in Spanish, with a special focus on Mexico’s national team El Tri. In Mexico, digital broadcasting will be VIX-centric.

Other major rights holders include the BBC and ITV in the UK, RAI/Mediaset in Italy, ARD/Magenta Sporta and ZDF in Germany, SABC in South Africa, BeIn Sports in the Middle East, Mediapro/RTVE in Spain, M6 and Ligue 1+ in France, CMG in China, Grupo Globo/CazeTV/SBT in Brazil, Caracol/Canal RCN and Win Sports + in Colombia, Telefe/TV Publica/TYC Sports Argentina and Australia’s SBS. These broadcasters will have a special focus on their national teams, some pre- and post-match coverage, their own announcers, and pull video from the World Feed.

Main photo credit: SmartFrame Images