The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins in just 43 days, and Fox Sports has assembled a deep roster of broadcasters to call the 104 matches in the newly expanded 48-team tournament.
In total, Fox announced nine World Cup broadcast pairings on Wednesday, all of which will travel among the 16 sites across North America to call games this summer. Additionally, Fox revealed a quintet of traveling reporters for the tournament, along with a couple of rules analysts who will chip in on the broadcasts.
So without further ado, here are the nine Fox Sports broadcast teams for the upcoming World Cup (play-by-play / analyst):
- John Strong / Stu Holden (lead team)
- Ian Darke / Landon Donovan
- JP Dellacamera / Lori Lindsey
- Derek Rae / Robert Green
- Darren Fletcher / Owen Hargreaves
- Jacqui Oatley / Warren Barton
- Mark Scott / Cobi Jones
- Tyler Terens / Maurice Edu
- Ian Crocker / Danny Higginbotham
Unsurprisingly, John Strong and Stu Holden return as Fox’s lead broadcast team for the third consecutive men’s World Cup. Strong and Holden will call all U.S. Men’s National Team matches and other top games throughout the tournament, including the World Cup Final from MetLife Stadium in July. The pair has worked together for nearly every major international soccer competition on Fox since 2018.
Reuniting for a second consecutive men’s World Cup is the pairing of beloved play-by-play announcer Ian Darke and legendary former USMNT player Landon Donovan. Darke, of course, famously called Donovan’s stoppage-time goal against Algeria to send the Americans into the knockout stage during the 2010 World Cup. While Fox did not formally rank its broadcast pairings beyond the lead team, expect Darke and Donovan to get some of the better match assignments this summer.
A mainstay of soccer broadcasting in the United States, JP Dellacamera returns to call his 18th career FIFA World Cup (11 men’s seven women’s) across television and radio. He’ll pair with Lori Lindsey, who will call her first men’s World Cup after making her women’s World Cup broadcasting debut in 2023.
Derek Rae has become something of a World Cup institution in the United States, calling every men’s World Cup since 2004 for an American audience. He’ll be paired with former England national team goalkeeper Robert Green, who joined Fox Sports for UEFA Euro 2024 and currently serves as a match analyst across many different broadcasters.
A couple of notable former USMNT players are also getting the tap this summer. Cobi Jones, who has earned a USMNT record 164 caps and was part of the legendary 1994 World Cup squad, will pair with veteran BBC broadcaster Mark Scott. Maurice Edu, the former USMNT player who served as a studio analyst for Fox’s 2022 World Cup coverage, will now shift to the booth alongside play-by-play commentator Tyler Terens.
Fox has also tapped five reporters for the upcoming tournament: Alex Alijoe, Geoff Shreeves, Jenny Taft, Katie Shanahan, and Natalie Gedra. Taft embedded with the United States team in 2022, and will presumably continue in that role this summer. Tom Rinaldi will also serve as a correspondent at-large for Fox, delivering his signature feature pieces throughout the tournament.
Wrapping up, two standbys of Fox’s soccer coverage, Dr. Joe Machnik and Mark Clattenburg, will return as rules analyst for the World Cup.
Fox’s full studio team is expected to be revealed at a later date. However, the network has already announced a star-studded lineup including Zlatan Ibrahimović and Thierry Henry as analysts. One could expect an American flare to round out the lead panel in the studio.
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.