It’s a World Cup year, and when FOX Sports Executive Producer and Chief Executive Officer Eric Shanks advised his team to bolster its production of women’s soccer, it responded in a big way. The presentation of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is now more comprehensive than ever before, utilizing new technology, cameras and a picturesque set on the waterfront promenade at Campbells Cove with the iconic Sydney Opera House in the background. The panel contains a new member and former World Cup champion and co-captain of the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT), Carli Lloyd, one of the most accomplished players in the history of the sport.
“Carli is awesome,” Shanks said. “I think just like she was a leader on the U.S. Women’s National Team. She’s a real button pusher on the set to really get a lot of energy [and] to get a lot of back and forth going on the set.”
Lloyd never thought she would be working in sports media following her time on the field. Once she retired though, the opportunity with FOX Sports presented itself and she suddenly found herself with a decision to make.
“I was kind of not incredibly comfortable with it, but like anything in my career, I’ve always kind of stepped out of my comfort zone and tried different things,” Lloyd said. “I went to the Men’s World Cup and got my feet wet there, and I am really glad and grateful I did because it obviously is now going to make it a little bit easier for me to know what to expect at the Women’s World Cup, and I actually really enjoy it.”
A preponderance of the world’s focus in the tournament will be fixated on the USWNT as it embarks on a conquest for a third consecutive championship. Yet the path this team forges is elusive to say the least, as Spain, England and Germany pose legitimate threats to that goal. The team at FOX Sports hopes that level of competition creates passion and patriotism stateside.
“America, even if for a moment, wants to come together,” FOX Sports lead soccer analyst and National Soccer Hall of Fame member Alexi Lalas said. “All the other crap that we have – because it’s still going to be there – just put it aside, and at least for a few hours, cheer on what I think is the greatest country in the world. And then we can go back to fighting, but at least for a couple of hours, we’re having a good time and we’re together. I think America misses that, and this type of situation provides at least a respite.”
Karina LeBlanc participated in five World Cup tournaments as a member of Canada Soccer’s Women’s National Team and remembers the feeling of stepping onto the field for the first time. LeBlanc’s final World Cup was in 2015, the year Canada was the host country, and the first of the United States’ back-to-back championships.
“I know what it’s like to be successful, and I also know what it’s like to be disappointed,” LeBlanc said. “I think it’s just bringing that and just helping people understand the reality, [which] is that the World Cup’s not just about the wins and losses. It’s the impact that this game – the biggest global game – will have on the everlasting impact in their countries.”
Aside from her work with FOX Sports, LeBlanc is the general manager of Portland Thorns FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and formerly served as the head of women’s soccer for the CONCACAF. The former goaltender is a member of the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame and passionate about her home country, but she is fully aware that the most international intrigue pertains to the play of the United States. That is where Carli Lloyd could demonstrate critical value on the desk.
“We’ve battled against each other which is the funniest thing because Canada-USA is a rivalry,” LeBlanc said of Lloyd. “But then just to share the stage with her, talk about experience or share her knowledge. She’s been in with the U.S. camp; I’ve never been in there. I’ve played against these players for so many years, but it’s like being back on a team, and a team with some legendary people.”
Over the last several years, the trajectory of women’s sports has only gone upward, evinced by the 453% year-over-year increase in viewership for the NWSL championship game. According to a recent study by Samba TV, 39% of Gen Z sports fans responded by saying they are watching more women’s sports than the year prior. Lloyd and the rest of the FOX crew believe they can help facilitate this sustained growth by mixing stories into their coverage.
“I think obviously bringing a different awareness to the game [and] my experiences; I think that’s the biggest thing,” Lloyd said. “Of course I see things on the tactical side and what not, but people want to know, ‘What are these athletes and players thinking about in this particular moment?,’ or ‘What’s the preparation like?’”
When the matches commence, JP Dellacamera and Aly Wagner will serve as the lead broadcast booth on the call from the tournament. They will call all USWNT matches. Dellacamera brings a wealth of experience to the broadcast booth, as he will be covering his 17th FIFA World Cup and has called games for various soccer leagues on television and radio.
“My goal during this World Cup is just to be like all World Cups – be consistent,” Dellacamera said. “Be good at the beginning, be better at the end and hopefully have no hiccups. It shouldn’t be an up-and-down thing.”
The last time the USWNT took home the championship in 2019, FOX reported 14.5 million viewers on its platforms, 22% higher than the 2018 Men’s Final. Last year’s Men’s World Cup ended up amassing a global reach of nearly 1.5 billion viewers with FOX Sports reporting approximately 16.8 million viewers across its linear network and streaming services. In doing so, it became the most-watched Men’s World Cup telecast in English-language United States television history. This year, FOX is striving to shatter those numbers and make some history of its own.
“I think FOX management is big time, and they have big ideas and nothing is too big for them in terms of a project and how to execute it,” Dellacamera said. “I think they realize that the eyes of the world are on them, and they thrive on that.”
Storytelling and familiarizing the world with the athletes on the stage is of central importance to the commentary team, including the analysts, correspondents and insiders. Jenny Taft, the former host of Undisputed and current lead college football reporter, is following the USWNT as an insider. It is her fifth World Cup.
“Of course the U.S. is favored to go all the way, but at the end of the day, you never know what’s going to happen,” Taft said. “I love the rush of a crazy 30 days – all-in; soccer every day; can’t get enough; no sleep; no eating. We’ll do it after, so it’s fun.”
As a college football reporter, Taft speaks with players, coaches, executives and other team personnel to compile information for the broadcast. While she will converse with people at the tournament, there are stringent restrictions that require her to alter the way she gathers intel. Reporters are confined to a box alongside the pitch that they must sit in for the duration of the match, leading Taft to come prepared with binoculars to look at the USWNT sideline.
“When someone says, ‘Why doesn’t Jenny have an injury update?,’ [it is] because I truly physically can’t get one until halftime when I go get to the coach,” Taft explained, “but you don’t even always get a coach interview and that really comes from the relationships.”
Taft speaks French and became friends with a reporter from the country at last year’s Men’s World Cup in Qatar. They continue to keep in touch and help each other in covering the event, and Taft has already promised to be a resource for him when the tournament comes to North America in 2026.
“It’s wild how FIFA just keeps it so strict,” Taft said, “and that is really to keep it fair for everyone because there’s a Jenny Taft in England and France and Spain. That’s what’s wild; there’s so many reporters.”
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be the last event executive produced by David Neal. The vice president of production joined FOX Sports in 2012 after working with NBC Sports for more than 30 years. Shanks says Neal’s impact will be felt in the way viewers see New Zealand and Australia.
“As David Neal always says, ‘The host country is really one of the teams playing in the World Cup,’ and we want to thank them and show off their country,” Shanks expressed. “The best thing that we can do for a host country is that for that whole month, just be a postcard that makes everybody want to come there. Whether it’s New Zealand or Australia, that’s what we’re going to do.”
When the USWNT filed a class action lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay, the athletes made a statement about perceived disparities and exploitation. Over the course of six years some of the team’s biggest stars like ALex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe led the fight, perturbing the afflicted and empowering others to support the effort.
As part of the settlement, current and former USWNT players will share a lump sum payment of $24 million, a majority of which is classified as back pay. Now as the team looks to win its third straight FIFA Women’s World Cup, Morgan and Rapinoe are in the spotlight again, returning to lead the charge on the pitch.
“You have those names that you can’t help but follow and get to know and discuss, and I love that they’re owning it,” Taft said. “They’re owning the attention, and that’s what the U.S. Women’s National Team is about to do. It always takes the game to the next level, and we’re really about to see that, and that’s what I love.”
The challenge for FOX and its viewers is in the start times of the matches. Australia is 14 hours ahead of the East Coast. New Zealand is a whopping 17 hours ahead. The first two USWNT games begin at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST, but by the Aug. 1 matchup against Portugal, fans in New York City will need to set their alarms to 3 a.m. to be awake for kickoff. FOX’s World Cup crew, already adjusted to the country’s time zone, will awaken with avidity to watch the next chapter of the story be authored.
“From start to finish, it’s going to be intense,” Lloyd said. “It’s going to be a lot of work [and] a lot of sleepless nights and all of that.”
Much like a good teammate, Lloyd acknowledges the FOX Sports roster of talent and everyone that has helped her along this journey. Even though she will not lace up her cleats on the pitch, she is still part of a competition to bolster interest in women’s sports.
“The joy of it is getting to watch the beautiful game and seeing how the tournament is going to unfold,” Lloyd said. “I think that’s what I’m looking forward to the most is just kind of sharing this experience with another team.”
The action begins Friday night with the United States Women’s National Team’s opening game in group play against Vietnam at 9 p.m. on FOX. No matter the result, FOX Sports will be there from start to finish as the place where sports fans turn to get up to speed with the matches. Whether it is on linear television, the digital World Cup Now show, online with daily articles or on social media, the programming division is pulling out all the stops to make this World Cup even better than the last.
“This is one of our crown jewel events, and so we treat it just like we treat any of our other crown jewel events – probably more so because we [had] people in the country for probably 80 days getting ready for this event,” Shanks said. “We want to capture the nation’s attention and put it right on this team as they make a run for their third in a row.”
Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
