The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to North America, and Fox is planning for the “biggest production” in the network’s history.
Fox announced Wednesday that it would air a record-setting 69 World Cup matches on its broadcast channel during the summer’s event, up from just 34 matches during the 2022 World Cup. FS1 will broadcast an additional 35 matches, with all World Cup action also available digitally on the Fox One and Fox Sports apps.
Of course, FIFA is debuting an expanded World Cup format in 2026, increasing the total number of countries to 48 from 32. For Fox, that means more inventory across more match days. Even still, the network is airing a higher percentage of matches on its broadcast network than it did in 2022 (66% versus 53%).
In total, Fox will run 340 hours of programming across the entirety of the event, including pre- and post-match coverage. The 2026 World Cup will also feature the most primetime matches of any World Cup in history.
“Fox Sports’ presentation of FIFA World Cup 26 is going to be the biggest production in our company’s 32-year history, and we couldn’t be more excited to showcase this once-in-a-lifetime event with more matches on broadcast television than ever before,” Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks said in a press release. “The largest World Cup ever means this is going to be a television event unlike any other with more teams, superstars, storylines and moments that will captivate audiences everywhere.”
With the upcoming World Cup being hosted in North America, Fox will be able to take advantage of favorable television windows for the first time in its history broadcasting the men’s tournament. Fox’s prior World Cups, 2022 in Qatar and 2018 in Russia, featured match windows in odd hours for the American audience. The 2022 World Cup was also contested in the winter, when Fox was forced to fit matches into its prior football obligations. Neither time zones nor conflicting programming will be an issue for Fox this time around.
The 2026 World Cup is the last in which Fox owns broadcast rights in the United States. FIFA has yet to sell the 2030 tournament to an American broadcaster.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.