The Fox Sports Summer of Soccer could not have gone better. The network aired both the UEFA European Championships and the CONMEBOL Copa América throughout June and July, piling up massive viewership and incredible matches.
Now, Fox Sports SVP of Strategy & Analytics Ben Valenta is signaling that the company will double down on its investment in international sports competitions and continue unlocking the power of its Fox broadcast network in the two years until the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“This is the starting gun now for that event,” Valenta said in an interview on The Sports Media Podcast from The Sports Business Journal released Wednesday. “We’re all looking ahead to 2026 and the North American World Cup. I think if there were doubters to our strategic choice to focus on international events, I think any sort of pushback has been put to rest.”
Fox drew an average of 6.4 million viewers for the final match of the Euros on Sunday, plus an average of 6.02 for the Copa América final later the same night. Both were the most-watched matches for either tournament in American broadcast history.
In addition to scooping up rights to these two tournaments and the FIFA World Cup, Fox also airs the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the UEFA Nations League, and USA Basketball exhibitions.
While early-round matches were spread between FS1 and Fox, the network placed both weekend finals on its broadcast network to maximize reach.
“I think there’s, both internally and externally, an understanding about the power of broadcast, and I think we will continue to pursue that strategy in 2026,” Valenta told host Austin Karp. “And so I think this kind of just puts us on very firm footing as we look ahead.”
Given the rising interest in soccer across the United States highlighted by record viewership for international competitions and foreign domestic leagues like the English Premier League, it’s no surprise Fox has high hopes for the 2026 World Cup.
“We’ve been bullish on 2026 for years … and this just makes us even more confident that the winds are blowing in the right direction,” Valenta said.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.