When the 2018 and 2022 World Cups kick off in Russia and Qatar, there is a very good chance that you'll be watching those tournaments on a FOX network.
FOX beat out both ESPN and NBC for the U.S. broadcast rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, multiple reports revealed on Friday morning. The news came as a surprise for many who expected ESPN to win the bids.
On the Spanish-language side, NBC-owned Telemundo beat out favorites Univision for the Spanish-Language rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
What do you think of this development?
Share your thoughts below.
I thought that when NBC won the rights for MLS games that we USMNT and MLS fans would be done with the joke that is Fox.
I’m not worried about the the picture quality. FOX will be using the same international feed from FIFA that ESPN has been using for the past World Cups.
I’m a little bit worried about the announcers, the pre and post game shows, and Fox’s studio set because FOX Soccer is currently a joke when it comes to that. Waldo and Sullivan look like they’re sitting at the desk for a Public Access station or a high school video product set. I can’t think of a single FOX announcer I enjoy listening to. Also, the fact that they put out Kurt Menifee for the pre game and post game for a Champions League Final is effing ridiculous. However, I’m at least slightly hopeful FOX can overhaul that in 7 years.
What I’m most worried about is the fact that I and most other people in this country only get 2 FOX stations (FOX and Fox Sports Network). I do not and will not EVER pay for FSC and Fox doesn’t have a free online channel like ESPN does with Watch ESPN (formerly ESPN3). It will be a effing sham if Fox puts games on FSC.
I’m sure there has to be something in the contract with FIFA that te games are made available for viewing without subscription otherwise FIFA themselves would have a channel. It’s a sad day because last time during the UCL final they took a mad dump on soccer fans chest with that NFL player highschool contrast and compare BD between American Throwball and Football ( not futbol the games was invented on it’s current form by the English people here seem to think Latin America is the only place in the world that plays it) and that stupid superbowl music with that dumb robot dribbling tje ball. I mean every other part of the world is available in public broadcast.
Yup. And those bastards will probably put some games on FSC, which I, like most of the country, don’t pay for.
Glad and happy this happened to ESPN, they deserve to not get it. Not when the US plays and they always put them or other teams on ESPN2 as oppose to the main ESPN channel. They put bowling and fat guys playing cards on ESPN 1 so glad FOX won this.
Just a few years ago, everyone thought ESPN hated soccer…
In Soviet Russia, games play you!
This is HORRIBLLE!!! just the fact that more people watch Sportscenter than anything FOX offers is a total loss. The promotion of the games takes a huge hit. FIFA has found another way to screw us over
That you’re being silly. Both of you.
Soccer please!
I’m sure there has to be something in the contract with FIFA that te games are made available for viewing without subscription otherwise FIFA themselves would have a channel. It’s a sad day because last time during the UCL final they took a mad dump on soccer fans chest with that NFL player highschool contrast and compare BD between American Throwball and Football ( not futbol the games was invented on it’s current form by the English people here seem to think Latin America is the only place in the world that plays it) and that stupid superbowl music with that dumb robot dribbling tje ball. I mean every other part of the world is available in public broadcast.
I don’t like that they even allow bidding for these events when they are so far out. Who knows if these channels will even exist in 10 years? Or be of good enough quality? Allow bidding for the next one coming up, and maybe the one after that only. I can understand the 2018 bid, but not the 2022.
Maybe ESPN realized that the value of TV advertising will probably substantially decease by the 2018 and 2022 WC’s since people are bypassing live tv and getting more on the internet.
God. I mean the 2014. Long week.
I meant the 2012 in Brazil.
You just choose to ignore it?
As Beck says… I’m just asking questions.
WTF is that supposed to mean?
Depends how upset they are at getting outbid. Maybe it will increase in anticipation of 2026.
They’ll also probably have an animated soccer playing robot or gopher.
Hmm…Why do I think Arlo White will be Fox’s man for the WC?
Uh, it goes far, far beyond politics. Hacking the phones of thousands of private individuals, including 9/11 victims? Bribery of police and government officials? Politics aside, he’s responsible for some pretty terrible stuff.
Cool story bro.
No. Fox’s NFL telecasts are bad when put next to CBS’s and pitiful when compared NBC’s. I’d put them on par with ESPN MNF, but that’s only because ESPN gets docked points in my book for employing Jon Gruden.
Of course I’ve heard of it.
I’ll take Phil Simms and Jim Nantz over Aikman and Buck any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Fox’s pre-game show is to “gwaffy”. Just a bunch of meatheads laughing at their own jokes and not providing insight.
I was having a good day. Now I am having a bad day.
Murdoch and NewsCorps are evil, and not because of Fox News.
There’s more to Murdoch/NewsCorp than Fox News.
Perhaps you’ve heard of UK phone hacking scandals?
Plus we lose easily being able to watch the games online on ESPN3.
This is my concern as well.
do it Ives! get in there man, what an opportunity
otherwise, boo to this news
I just knew FIFA was going to screw this up. It doesn’t seem they can get anything right.
Beware,
I thought the same about Harkes on ESPN and he’s still around. The Good from this is that someone at Fox will see the push back from this and other threads and hopefully take it into consideration. As someone said earlier, FIFA produces the event, providing the feed et al even down to the graphics for stats, so the only way they could currently screw it up is by dropping the ball on retransmission but keep in mind that we may all have the power of FIFA.com to pull up matches online AND possibly in a desired language of choice. If not, we all know how to find a pirate feed online to watch.
My point also is that ESPN will probably stop covering it to the extent they have because they no longer have any sort of monetary incentive-sure they’ll still do stuff, but it will be more Barry Melrose-NHL BS-ish.
The biggest issue with this isn’t even that ESPN has a better production quality or that ESPN has EPSN3, but how ESPN will respond. ESPN is the worldwide leader in sports for a reason, in the preceding months and weeks ESPN goes full throttle to promote the World Cup, during the Cup they have World Cup coverage during 40% of Sportscenter plus special shows, etc. They have people travel with the USMNT, provide those personal stories some like, they do a fantastic job of making this ‘America’s team’. All of these factors are what makes the average joe watch the world cup, to an extent it is forced upon him and he likes it. Sports fans who might not be necessarily soccer fans now have to go out of their way to watch the WC as opposed to just absentmindedly turning on ESPN and watching a game. A bad development for sure.
No Pablo? Man, dude’s like my fav. Narrator…
I don’t think you understand how time zones work
Wow, lots of Fox bashing out there. I must be getting old or something. Back in the day the only way to see games was on pay per view, the spanish channel (where SAP does not mean second audio program) or delayed like a week. Now Fox gives us 5 or 6 live games every Saturday + 5 more on Sunday. Plus champions league and CONCACAF Champions League and at least one college game every week. Fox has greatly helped soccer in America. The amount of games available has greatly increased. While ESPN’s production quality per game is better I appreciate that FOX looks to grow soccer in the US. ESPN has and will continue to bank on the NFL and collage football. In the summer ESPN is about baseball, until football starts. ESPN will always treat soccer as filler time until football. And this should not be a debate about the annoucers. Nobody likes Joe Buck or John Harkes or JP anyway.
Its 7 years away, but I rather enjoyed how ABC and SportsCenter spent significant time on the South Africa WC apart from the games and I’m certain we’ll see even more of that for Brazil, which is going to be an enourmous party for everyone involved. Fox doesn’t have a morning show that is close to GMA and doesn’t have a highlights show (or network) close to ESPN, and I doubt that will change in 7 years. As for the games, everyone will be watching them live in 3D on their IPad 10 or IWall 2 by then, so I’m not too concerned about that.
Good for Ives and his company, bad for soccer.
Ives, please save this situation.
+1 haha
2018 is in russia. they start games at like at 1:30
And lifelike robots will be playing the game, with audience voting determining the outcome (instead of bribed officials).
+1. Harkes is so bad. He doesn’t even seem to be watching the same game.
Not only will I be missing ESPN’s coverage, but I will miss Univision. Love everything they do: pre game, game commentary, and post game. Heck Telemundo does not have the Senadoras.
But Fox will have their own commentators, marketing and studio crew, which is what will make the biggest difference. If they don’t seriously improve those three items, then all the pretty pictures won’t mean much.
They have 7 years to make it right so lets hope they can make it shine.
To all the its 7 years away people:
while that it true for the WC but if you care about the sport in this country beyond the WC, MLS will be directly affected by this decision come 2014 when it’s current deals with NBC and ESPN expire.
It should come as no shock as those were the two losing bids in this process and this has MLS fans nervous as they know Fox does not have an equivalent ESPN2/VS type channel to get their game out to the masses on.
FSC simply won’t cut it.
I agree, as I mentioned below, that the choice of commentators will be the most important decision for Fox. But it id very unlikely that the commentators that Fox employs today for its soccer broadcasts will be those commentating for those WCs.
Let’s hope this means Fox will actually invest big money in FSC and soccer in general on their network because if not, this will be only slightly better then the US coverage of 1990.
Oh yeah….right. I forgot the talking point that must be parroted.
FAUX NEWS LIES!!1!
Can I have my cred back please?
I’m assuming, just like everything else with 2022, that Qatar put money behind the Fox bid to win.
By giving Fox the bid, they know the production quality will be so awful, more Americans might actually go to the games rather than watch at home.