U.S. Soccer and Telemundo agree to Spanish-language broadcast deal

It may have been last minute, but U.S. Soccer has a Spanish-language broadcast deal in the United States.

Telemundo will air more than 20 USMNT and USWNT matches per year in a four-year deal that runs through the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup. All matches will stream on Peacock, while tonight’s New Zealand-United States women’s friendly will air on Universo, Peacock, and the Telemundo app. Andrés Cantor and Manuel Sol will provide in-game commentary.

Telemundo’s deal with U.S. Soccer models the English-language one made with Warner Bros. Discovery that was announced last March. WBD’s English-language deal runs through 2030, with matches airing on TNT, TBS, and/or HBO Max, but both consist of the same number of matches, including friendlies, the SheBelieves Cup, and some Concacaf Nations League matches.

While this took some time, there is a benefit to U.S. Soccer making a deal with Telemundo. Telemundo already has Spanish-language broadcasting rights to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, 2024 Summer Olympics, and the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup. Those are three of the most highly anticipated events involving the United States on the international soccer calendar so there is an opportunity for Telemundo to plan around those tournaments.

U.S. Soccer’s deal with NBCUniversal’s Spanish-language network ends a 15-year partnership with Univision. However, Univision will still have some Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup matches involving the United States as those rights run through Concacaf.

[U.S. Soccer]