Zlatan and company are coming to a stadium near you.Fox Sports will move its main studio team on the road for the final two weeks of the World Cup, starting July 4 when the round of 16 begins, sources briefed on the network’s plans told The Athletic.A Fox Sports spokesperson confirmed the news.Thus far, the top studio of Rebecca Lowe, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Alexi Lalas have mainly bunkered in the network’s Los Angeles studio. Lalas has been on the road for United States games, joining Rob Stone, Clint Dempsey and Carli Lloyd, leaving Lowe, Henry and Ibrahimović as a trio.During pre-tournament planning, Fox Sports president Brad Zager had mulled putting all of the network’s studio shows, including the top one, at stadiums every day it was on the air, beginning in the group stage, according to sources briefed on the network’s plans. However, when the tournament expanded to 48 teams, he audibled because of the new size of the already massive event.
Zager and Fox have embraced the “College GameDay”-style on-site pregame with its college football show, “Big Noon Kickoff” on Saturdays in the fall. Stone, who leads Big Noon, has been the main on-site host for the World Cup, with a variety of analysts. Jules Breach has also been a top presenter on the road, flanked by analysts.The idea of a pre-game show being at the event is to give a tangible feel of the big-time atmosphere. While it can sometimes make it harder to hear the announcers, it provides a tailgate-style presentation. ESPN’s GameDay has become an institution in large part because of this concept that began in the 1990s.Now, the Zlatan experience will be coming to World Cup stadiums.Jun 29, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
