FOX Sports Announces FIFA World Cup Group Stage Match Assignments for Opening Week
"John Strong and Stu Holden return as FOX's lead booth for their third consecutive men's World Cup, joined by reporter Jenny Taft. Their debut comes June 12 from Los Angeles, as the USMNT faces Paraguay in Group D."
FOX Sports has announced its broadcaster match assignments for the first week of FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage play. The tournament kicks off Thursday, June 11, with nine commentary teams covering all 104 matches across 16 host cities.
What We Know: John Strong and Stu Holden return as FOX’s lead booth for their third consecutive men’s World Cup, joined by reporter Jenny Taft. Their debut comes June 12 from Los Angeles, as the USMNT faces Paraguay in Group D. Moreover, a special three-hour pregame show starts at 6:00 PM ET on FOX. FOX and FS1 will carry all 104 matches live, with every game streaming in 4K on FOX One.
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What The Data Shows: (courtesy of FOX Sports)
Date
Match
Play-by-Play
Match Analyst
Reporter
Rules Analyst
June 11
Mexico vs. South Africa
Ian Darke
Landon Donovan
Alex Aljoe
Mark Clattenburg
June 11
Korea Republic vs. Czechia
Jacqui Oatley
Warren Barton
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 12
Canada vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina
Darren Fletcher
Owen Hargreaves
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 12
USMNT vs. Paraguay
John Strong
Stu Holden
Jenny Taft
Mark Clattenburg
June 13
Qatar vs. Switzerland
Derek Rae
Rob Green
—
Mark Clattenburg
June 13
Brazil vs. Morocco
John Strong
Stu Holden
Natalie Gedra
Mark Clattenburg
June 13
Haiti vs. Scotland
Ian Crocker
Danny Higginbotham
Alex Aljoe
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 13
Australia vs. Türkiye
Jacqui Oatley
Warren Barton
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 14
Germany vs. Curaçao
Ian Darke
Landon Donovan
Katie Shanahan
Mark Clattenburg
June 14
Netherlands vs. Japan
Darren Fletcher
Owen Hargreaves
Geoff Shreeves
Mark Clattenburg
June 14
Côte d’Ivoire vs. Ecuador
JP Dellacamera
Lori Lindsey
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 14
Sweden vs. Tunisia
Tyler Terens
Maurice Edu
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 15
Spain vs. Cabo Verde
John Strong
Stu Holden
Alex Aljoe
Mark Clattenburg
June 15
Belgium vs. Egypt
Derek Rae
Rob Green
Natalie Gedra
Mark Clattenburg
June 15
Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay
JP Dellacamera
Lori Lindsey
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 15
IR Iran vs. New Zealand
Jacqui Oatley
Warren Barton
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 16
France vs. Senegal
Ian Darke
Landon Donovan
Geoff Shreeves
Mark Clattenburg
June 16
Iraq vs. Norway
Ian Crocker
Danny Higginbotham
Katie Shanahan
Mark Clattenburg
June 16
Argentina vs. Algeria
John Strong
Stu Holden
Alex Aljoe / Tom Rinaldi
Mark Clattenburg
June 16
Austria vs. Jordan
Derek Rae
Rob Green
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 17
Portugal vs. DR Congo
Darren Fletcher
Owen Hargreaves
Natalie Gedra / Tom Rinaldi
Mark Clattenburg
June 17
England vs. Croatia
John Strong
Stu Holden
Geoff Shreeves
Mark Clattenburg
June 17
Ghana vs. Panama
JP Dellacamera
Lori Lindsey
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 17
Uzbekistan vs. Colombia
Jacqui Oatley
Warren Barton
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 18
Czechia vs. South Africa
Ian Crocker
Danny Higginbotham
—
Mark Clattenburg
June 18
Switzerland vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina
Derek Rae
Rob Green
—
Mark Clattenburg
June 18
Canada vs. Qatar
Tyler Terens
Maurice Edu
—
Dr. Joe Machnik
June 18
Mexico vs. Korea Republic
Darren Fletcher
Owen Hargreaves
Alex Aljoe
Dr. Joe Machnik
What Remains Unclear: Match assignments beyond the opening week will roll out on a weekly basis. It’s also unclear how studio coverage and shoulder programming will be structured around non-USMNT matches. FOX has not yet detailed its Spanish-language broadcast plans.
What It Means: FOX Sports has a slew of action coming beginning next week. After years of planning, the 2026 tournament is the largest ever, featuring 48 teams and three host nations. The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19. Eleven cities will be hosting the tournament in the U.S. including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area.
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