Andres Cantor Sets 12th World Cup Assignment for U.S. Opener
andres cantor is headed into his 12th consecutive FIFA World Cup assignment, and his first stop will be the U.S. men's opener against Paraguay on Friday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The 63-year-old Telemundo lead Spanish play-by-play voice keeps extending a run that has made him one of the most familiar soccer broadcasters in the United States.
Cantor at SoFi Stadium
Cantor will call eight group-stage matches over the next two weeks, including two Argentina matches and the U.S. men's second group-stage game against Australia. That slate puts him on one of the busiest shifts in the tournament broadcast crew, with the opening U.S. match carrying the clearest marker of where his World Cup run begins.
He has held Telemundo’s lead Spanish play-by-play role for more than 25 years, and his career has stretched across four decades. The World Cup assignment also comes as he remains the voice behind the long goal call that made him instantly recognizable in the U.S., a style he popularized after first rising to prominence in the 1990s during his debut television stint with Univision.
From Buenos Aires to 2026
His current run is tied to the 2026 World Cup, with a possible third Telemundo final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Cantor’s history with the tournament reaches back through Argentina’s title in Buenos Aires in 1978 and its win in Mexico City in 1986, when Diego Maradona scored what he described as the greatest goal ever scored in the competition against England.
Four years ago in Lusail, Qatar, Argentina beat France in the World Cup final and left him in tears. That emotional finish sits alongside the practical reality of the job now: another full tournament schedule, another opener to call, and another chance for viewers to hear the same voice that has carried soccer’s biggest moments for decades.
Signatures and staying power
Cantor has said, “The day I’m not happy waking up knowing that I have to call a soccer game – wherever it happens to be or whatever league it happens to be – that will make me think,” and later added, “The minute I hop in the car on my way to call the game, I am the happiest man alive.” He also said, “And that passion hopefully transcends onto the screen because soccer is my life and I have the same passion now that I had since Day One.”
That edge still shows in the booth. During Saturday’s U.S.-Germany exhibition, Antonee Robinson’s volley drew a 23-second goal call from Cantor, followed by another 15 seconds, a reminder that his trademark delivery remains intact as the World Cup starts. For fans watching the U.S. opener, the voice is part of the event itself.
He has also been direct about the call that made him famous: “I don’t own it,” he said. “You can say that I make it mine.” “I never said I invented anything. I just popularized it in the U.S.”
