Today marks the beginning of six weeks of soccer across the North American continent. For the first time since Bill Clinton’s first term in the White House, the world’s tournament comes to the shores of the United States. The next six weeks for FOX Sports will be a defining moment for the network. For advertisers, the massive audience across the globe will prove to be a worthwhile investment in the broadcasts themselves. For everything the Super Bowl is to the NFL, the FIFA World Cup is an entirely different beast.
As the games officially kick off today, there’s been plenty of discussion about what will become the lasting memories of this World Cup. While every FIFA World Cup carries some political undertones, the focus of the coverage has shifted to the games themselves over the past few months. There will be goals and crowd reactions from the 16 host cities across the continent that live on social media forever. However, here are my top three predictions for the FIFA World Cup 2026 this summer.
#1 – Alexi Lalas Earns His Throne
First and foremost, the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament will feature a star-studded roster of the biggest names in the game on FOX Sports. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams for the first time in its history, 12 hours of action every day is exactly what FOX Sports prepared for.
While there is plenty of star power on the FOX Sports roster, the tournament will serve as a reminder of how good Alexi Lalas is as the network’s top analyst. Because the tournament only occurs every four years, viewers often forget the style of analysis Lalas brings.
He’s bold, direct, and often controversial. He takes a “call it like I see it” approach and doesn’t sugarcoat his opinions or analysis. Lalas understands the role. He’s an entertainer first because he knows what attracts the average viewer. His performance will create viral moments. If the USMNT suffers an early exit, watch for the blowback from the former Team USA defender. If the USMNT achieves success, he’ll become the face of the USMNT fan base. All of it will play out live for a global viewing audience on FOX Sports.
#2 – Tech Passes And Fails The Test
Secondly, the success and potential failure of AI’s role in capturing the World Cup experience will become a major storyline. This tournament will be the first to feature sensor chips in soccer balls. Also AI-enabled 3D player avatars, robot dogs for security purposes, and automated technology to assist with offside calls.
There’s also a number of features and technologies geared toward the broadcasts themselves. With the tournament debuting on FOX One, multi-view options and AI-powered personalization tools will be available. There’s also an “AskFOX” feature that allows viewers to ask questions about moments in the game or seek additional context on what happened during a match.
The tournament will also be available in 4K for FOX One subscribers. Delivering an experience designed to go beyond the traditional broadcast.
Some of these innovations will be considered groundbreaking by the tournament’s conclusion. Others will be viewed as a waste of time, money, and energy.
However, the one technology that will stand out above the rest will be the stabilized referee cam, a camera mounted on the head of the lead official that provides an enhanced view of what the referee saw.
Or, more likely, what he didn’t see.
If FOX Sports has full access to that referee camera, the network should use it to its fullest extent, especially when it comes to “injuries” on the field and conversations between officials and players during the biggest sporting event in the world. That could become a game changer that other networks eventually adapt to their own broadcast models.
#3 – Record Viewership For FOX Sports
Finally, it goes without question that American viewership for the FIFA World Cup will reach levels not seen in many years. Despite recent surveys showing that only 13% of respondents plan to watch the World Cup, new records will almost certainly be set.
For comparison’s sake, the 2022 Qatar World Cup averaged 4.7 million viewers per match and delivered an average audience of 25.8 million viewers for the World Cup Final in the United States. The Super Bowl this past February peaked at 137.8 million viewers.
Do I think the World Cup will generate Super Bowl-type viewership over the six-week tournament? Absolutely not. But could it surpass the audience figures of any previous tournament held on American soil? You can almost guarantee it. That likelihood only increases with Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel measurement system, which was installed last September.
For generations, sports media has debated why soccer doesn’t work in America. Yet the sport has grown by leaps and bounds over the last three decades. MLS continues to expand. Viewership for MLS matches is up 62% year over year through the first three months of the season. The USWNT has only grown in popularity thanks to its World Cup success. The NWSL also continues to expand with more teams and additional broadcast distribution deals.
A recent survey from Seton Hall showed that the FIFA World Cup’s popularity among adults ages 18-34 trails only the NFL and the NBA. European soccer and MLS rank just behind the FIFA World Cup, while the NFL, MLB, college football, and college basketball trail all three soccer properties.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will serve as the official coronation of the United States as a soccer nation. And if the USMNT enjoys any success, the chances of that only increase.
Whether the final audience numbers reach record heights, whether FOX Sports delivers a flawless tournament, or whether the USMNT makes a deep run into the knockout stage, one thing already feels certain.
This World Cup isn’t arriving in the United States to convince Americans to care about soccer. That battle may already be over.
For decades, soccer in America was treated as a sport with potential rather than a sport with staying power. It was always waiting for its breakthrough moment, waiting for its signature star, waiting for the audience to finally arrive.
Yet while the debates continued, the game kept growing. Youth participation expanded. Professional leagues matured. Television audiences increased. New generations adopted the sport as part of their regular sports diet rather than as an occasional novelty.
Now the biggest tournament in the world returns to American soil at a time when soccer is no longer asking for permission to sit at the table. It already has a seat.
Over the next six weeks, there will be unforgettable goals, shocking upsets, controversial officiating decisions, viral moments, and storylines that dominate conversations around the globe. Some of those memories will fade. Others will live forever.
But years from now, the legacy of FIFA World Cup 2026 may simply be that it confirmed what was already happening in plain sight.
The United States didn’t become a soccer nation because it hosted the World Cup. The World Cup came here because the United States had already become one.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
