FOX Sports Sets 9 Commentary Teams for World Cup Opening Week Fs1
FOX Sports set its World Cup 2026 opening-week broadcast map, assigning nine commentary teams across the first group-stage matches on FOX and fs1. The schedule puts John Strong, Stu Holden and Jenny Taft on the U.S. Men’s National Team opener and sends Ian Darke with Landon Donovan to Mexico’s tournament opener.
Brad Zager made the announcement before the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday, June 11. FOX Sports said the teams will call all 104 matches on location from all 16 host cities, with assignments rolling out weekly once play begins.
Strong and Holden in Los Angeles
Strong and Holden will call the U.S. opener against Paraguay on Friday, June 12, from Los Angeles. Taft will report from the same match, and FOX will add a three-hour pregame show starting at 6:00 PM ET.
The trio is set to handle every USMNT match throughout the tournament. That gives the network one fixed crew for the American side from the first whistle in Los Angeles through the end of the event.
Mexico City and Guadalajara on deck
Darke and Donovan will call Mexico against South Africa from Mexico City on Thursday, June 11, with live coverage beginning at 1:00 PM ET on FOX. Alex Aljoe will report pitch side for that opener, giving the match both a commentary team and a field reporter on site.
Other opening-week assignments stretch across the bracket. Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton will handle Korea Republic against Czechia on fs1 from Guadalajara on Thursday, June 11, while Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves will call Canada’s opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina on FOX from Toronto on Friday, June 12.
FS1 slots and tournament range
The rest of the first week continues with Derek Rae and Rob Green on Qatar against Switzerland on FOX on Saturday, June 13, and Ian Crocker with Danny Higginbotham on Haiti against Scotland on fs1 that same day. JP Dellacamera and Lori Lindsey will call Côte d’Ivoire against Ecuador on fs1 on Sunday, June 14, and Tyler Terens with Maurice Edu will handle Sweden against Tunisia on fs1 later that day.
Dr. Joe Machnik and Mark Clattenburg will serve as the dedicated rules analysts throughout the tournament. FOX Sports said it will be America’s official English-language home for FIFA World Cup 2026 from Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, July 19, and the weekly rollout means the opening slate is only the first slice of a full 104-match schedule.
