FOX Sports announced its full 2026 FIFA World Cup broadcast team on April 23, 2026. The lineup includes 18 match announcers across 9 commentary booths, 5 reporters, 1 at-large correspondent, 2 rules analysts and 5 studio analysts.
John Strong and Stu Holden lead the booth for their third consecutive men’s World Cup. Ian Darke pairs with Landon Donovan as the second commentary team. Zlatan Ibrahimović joins the studio for his full-time TV debut.
The team calls all 104 matches across 16 host cities from June 11 through July 19. FOX Sports will deliver 340 hours of live programming, a 100-hour jump over 2022.
FOX Sports 2026 World Cup Broadcast Team Lead Booth
John Strong and Stu Holden are the FOX Sports lead broadcast team for the third straight men’s World Cup. Strong handles play-by-play. Holden serves as match analyst.
The pair will call the World Cup Final from MetLife Stadium on July 19. They will also call every USMNT group stage match. That includes USA vs Paraguay on June 12, USA vs Australia on June 19 and Türkiye vs USA on June 25.
The two have built strong chemistry across Russia 2018, Qatar 2022 and UEFA EURO 2024.
All 9 FOX Sports Commentary Teams for 2026 World Cup
FOX Sports will field 9 commentary teams covering all 104 matches on-location from every host city. Most pair an experienced play-by-play voice with a former professional player as match analyst.
| # | Play-by-Play | Match Analyst |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Lead) | John Strong | Stu Holden |
| 2 | Ian Darke | Landon Donovan |
| 3 | Derek Rae | Robert Green |
| 4 | Darren Fletcher | Owen Hargreaves |
| 5 | Jacqui Oatley | Warren Barton |
| 6 | Ian Crocker | Danny Higginbotham |
| 7 | Mark Scott | TBA |
| 8 | Tyler Terens | Maurice Edu |
| 9 | JP Dellacamera | Lori Lindsey |
Ian Darke and Landon Donovan are the second booth. The two reunite after calling matches together in Qatar 2022 and serving as lead announcers at UEFA EURO 2024. Darke famously called Donovan’s stoppage-time goal against Algeria at the 2010 World Cup, sending the USMNT into the knockout stage. This is Darke’s third FIFA World Cup with FOX Sports.
Derek Rae and Robert Green reunite after calling EURO 2024 matches together. Rae has called every men’s World Cup since 2004 for an American audience. Green earned 12 caps for England as a goalkeeper.
Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves bring the British perspective. Fletcher is a longtime BBC and TNT Sports voice. Hargreaves played for Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton worked together at EURO 2024 and Qatar 2022. Oatley made history as the first female commentator on Match of the Day in 2007. Barton made over 500 career club appearances and earned 3 England caps.
Mark Scott makes his US commentator debut after 15 years in the UK with the BBC, Premier League and UEFA. In 2015 he became Match of the Day’s first commentator from an ethnic minority background.
Tyler Terens and Maurice Edu are a new pairing. Terens called the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup for FOX Sports. Edu played 46 times for the USMNT and worked as a FOX studio analyst at Qatar 2022 before this booth promotion.
JP Dellacamera and Lori Lindsey round out the lineup. Dellacamera calls his 18th career FIFA World Cup across 11 men’s and 7 women’s tournaments. Lindsey makes her men’s World Cup commentary debut after working the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
FOX Sports 2026 World Cup Reporters
FOX Sports has 5 traveling reporters covering the tournament from sidelines, training grounds and team hotels.
Jenny Taft continues her embed with the USMNT after working the same beat at Qatar 2022. She is FOX Sports’ lead soccer reporter.
Geoff Shreeves is a longtime Premier League and Champions League reporter. He brings the same access and rapport that defined his Sky Sports work for two decades.
Alex Aljoe, Katie Shanahan and Natalie Gedra join FOX Sports as new additions to the roster. The three strengthen FOX Sports’ sideline reporting capacity for the expanded 48-team tournament. Reporters rotate across all 16 host cities.
Tom Rinaldi: FOX Sports At-Large Correspondent
Tom Rinaldi features on FOX coverage as the at-large correspondent. He delivers signature long-form storytelling pieces during pregame and halftime shows on the biggest matches.
Rinaldi is a 17-time Emmy Award-winning storyteller. He spent two decades at ESPN before joining FOX Sports in 2021. His feature pieces humanize players and surface the personal stories behind the matches.
FOX Sports 2026 World Cup Rules Analysts
Two former referees serve as FOX Sports’ dedicated rules analysts. Both deliver in-match analysis on contentious decisions.
Dr. Joe Machnik is a longtime FOX Sports rules analyst. He has covered every World Cup for FOX since 2018. Machnik is a former NCAA Division I goalkeeper coach and FIFA referee instructor.
Mark Clattenburg brings recent on-field experience. He officiated the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2016 UEFA EURO Final between Portugal and France. Clattenburg also worked the 2012 London Olympics gold medal match.
FOX Sports 2026 World Cup Studio Analysts
The FOX Sports studio team is loaded with global stars. Five analysts will headline studio coverage from FOX’s main set.
Zlatan Ibrahimović makes his full-time TV studio debut. The Swedish striker scored 511 career club goals across Malmö, Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG, Manchester United and LA Galaxy. His arrival at FOX Sports was announced with the line “you’re welcome America.”
Thierry Henry returns to FOX after working previous tournaments. Henry won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France and the 2000 UEFA EURO. He is Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer.
Clarence Seedorf brings Dutch perspective. Seedorf is the only player to win the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs (Ajax, Real Madrid, AC Milan).
Javier Hernández is Mexico’s all-time leading scorer with 52 international goals. He played for Manchester United, Real Madrid and other top European clubs.
Cobi Jones is back with FOX Sports for his fourth major international tournament. Jones is the USMNT’s all-time appearance leader with 164 caps. He played in three World Cups (1994, 1998, 2002).
Where to Watch FOX Sports 2026 World Cup Coverage
FOX Sports holds exclusive English-language rights for all 104 matches. FOX network airs 70 matches. FS1 carries the remaining 34. Every match streams live and on-demand in 4K on FOX One at $19.99/mo. The FOX Sports app also carries every match for cable subscribers.
Tubi simulcasts the opening ceremony, Mexico vs South Africa on June 11 and USA vs Paraguay on June 12 free in 4K with no login.
For the full match-by-match TV schedule, kick-off times and complete streaming options, see our 2026 FIFA World Cup TV Schedule USA guide.
FOX Sports has built its deepest World Cup broadcast team yet. John Strong and Stu Holden lead the call. Ian Darke and Landon Donovan headline the second booth.
Zlatan, Henry and Seedorf anchor the studio. All 104 matches are covered live across FOX, FS1 and FOX One starting June 11.
Source: FOX Sports