Belgium and Iran played to a 0-0 draw in group stage action of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday, and Fox Sports soccer analyst Zlatan Ibrahimović was very honest about how bored the match left him.
To open the FS1 postgame show, Fox Sports host Rebecca Lowe asked Ibrahimović for his thoughts on the match.
“First half, I almost fell asleep,” Ibrahimović said. “Second half, I fell asleep. This game, nothing. Not a lot to talk about. Another draw. So, let’s see what happens in the upcoming game. But, yeah. I’ll let my colleagues (analyze the match).”
Zlatan Ibrahimović on the Belgium-Iran match: “First half, I almost fell asleep. Second half, I fell asleep. This game, nothing. Not a lot to talk about. Another draw.”
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) June 21, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Ibrahimović, a Swedish former soccer star, vowed to wake up American audiences in his role as a World Cup studio analyst when Fox hired him, but it seems that even he can struggle to stay awake for the entirety of World Cup coverage.
On the same postgame show, Ibrahimović told Lowe, “I don’t have followers. I have believers.”
Zlatan doesn’t have followers. He has believers. @Ibra_official 😂 pic.twitter.com/fdMLTvqhs7
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 21, 2026
Much like Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley, Ibrahimović is not afraid to be extremely honest with his commentary and call it as he sees it, even when it comes to events being shown on the network he works for.
If Ibrahimović is very bored by an event, he’ll say that. If he thinks a performance by a team or player was poor, he’ll make that abundantly clear. And, alongside Thierry Henry, he hasn’t even been afraid to join in on the mocking and bashing of his Fox Sports colleague, Alexi Lalas.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.