NEW YORK — Three weeks before the tournament kicks off in Mexico, tournament broadcaster Fox held a World Cup media event in New York City on Thursday.
The World Cup is expanding this summer to 48 teams, up from 32, and 104 matches, up from 64. The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19 with matches in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Fox will air 70 matches, put 34 matches on FS1, and have every match on its streaming service, Fox One.
EVP of production Zac Kenworthy said on Thursday that the expanded World Cup is “the biggest production Fox Sports has ever put on in our company’s history.”
Fox outbid ESPN for FIFA rights in 2011, paying about $425 million through 2022. Then in 2015, the two sides extended their agreement without going into the market; FIFA later revealed that it gave Fox the 2026 deal to avoid legal action over moving the 2022 World Cup to the winter. The New York Times later reported that Fox paid 10% more than the 2011 deal for the 2026 tournament.
