FIFA’s decision to expand the men’s World Cup from 32 teams and 64 matches in 2022 to 48 teams and 104 matches in 2026 is reshaping the tournament into a far larger television and streaming event for U.S. rights holders Fox and Telemundo. Played across 16 cities in North America over five weeks beginning Thursday, the tournament will deliver a long stretch of daily, advertiser-friendly programming at a time of year when major live sports inventory is relatively limited. For Fox Sports, the larger schedule means a significantly bigger production effort, with executives describing it as the company’s most ambitious World Cup presentation yet.
Fox will carry about two-thirds of the matches on its broadcast network, with the rest on FS1, while all 104 games will stream on Fox One. The company will also use Tubi for select live matches and related shoulder programming. Fox is highlighting a new production setup centered on Stage B in Los Angeles, which includes a large LED augmented-reality wall designed to support deeper analysis and more immersive storytelling. The network also plans to present the tournament in high dynamic range for the first time, using studio cameras sourced in part from tech partner Cosm. Fox says the upgraded visuals and seamless transitions between its Los Angeles hub and remote sites will create a richer, more realistic viewing experience.
The 2026 tournament is the first men’s World Cup staged in North America since 1994, and U.S. interest in soccer has grown sharply since then. Fox has aired the World Cup since 2015, and in 2022 it averaged 3.6 million viewers across its 32 matches, peaking at 16.8 million for Argentina’s final victory over France. Telemundo averaged 2.6 million viewers in 2022 and holds rights through 2030. Both networks see the expanded event as a major business opportunity because of its scale, reach and ability to keep audiences engaged over an extended period.
Telemundo, meanwhile, is using the World Cup to funnel sports viewers toward its broader entertainment lineup. NBCUniversal executive Joaquin Duro said the network wants to convert soccer audiences into viewers for Peacock’s reality and scripted programming, especially with a major new primetime slate set to debut on July 7, during the tournament’s knockout stages. Unlike rival TelevisaUnivision, which operates the Vix streaming service, Telemundo’s streaming strategy runs through Peacock. The network is also positioning the tournament as a bridge between Spanish- and English-language audiences, noting that a significant share of its World Cup consumption in 2022 was in English.
Duro said Telemundo’s audience is highly bilingual and includes fans from many countries, with many also supporting the United States because of mixed families and shared identities. The network has promoted the idea of “the team of all of us” to reflect that broader fan base.
One uncertainty hanging over the tournament is weather. FIFA has kept the event in the summer despite the risk of heat and thunderstorms, but says it has built climate considerations into scheduling, including adjusted kickoff times and a preference for covered stadiums in warmer windows. Fox and Telemundo have referred weather-delay questions to FIFA, but both broadcasters are hopeful the event’s length and spread across multiple venues will limit disruption.
