FOX Sports has revealed its match assignments for the first week of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Group Stage, including a primetime U.S. opener in Los Angeles and the opening match from Mexico City. The broadcaster will air all 104 matches across FOX and FS1, with
The countdown to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ starts early Thursday, June 11—when FOX Sports sends its first wave of match crews across North America to cover the Group Stage opening stretch.
For the U.S. Men’s National Team, the moment is set in Los Angeles. On Friday. June 12. the USMNT’s Group D opener against Paraguay kicks off with a special three-hour pregame show beginning at 6:00 PM ET on FOX. The broadcast booth for that home-soil opener features John Strong and Stu Holden. with reporter Jenny Taft joining from Los Angeles.
The Strong–Holden–Taft trio is scheduled to call and cover every USMNT match throughout the tournament.
There’s also a spotlight on the tournament’s other Group Stage headline moment—Mexico’s opening match. On Thursday. June 11. host nation Mexico takes on South Africa starting at 1:00 PM ET on FOX. with Ian Darke and Landon Donovan anchoring the call from Mexico City. Reporter Alex Aljoe will be pitch side for the broadcast.
FOX Sports’ schedule for the first days of the Group Stage keeps stacking recognizable voices with former players and analysts.
Korea Republic vs. Czechia on Thursday, June 11 on FS1 will feature Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton from Guadalajara. Friday, June 12 brings Canada’s Group Stage opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina on FOX from Toronto, with Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves in the booth.
As Group Stage action continues, more debut pairings are slated for FOX Sports’ coverage. On Saturday, June 13, Qatar vs. Switzerland on FOX includes Derek Rae and Rob Green. Later that same night on FS1, Ian Crocker and Danny Higginbotham will call Haiti vs. Scotland.
Sunday, June 14 on FS1 adds JP Dellacamera and Lori Lindsey for Côte d’Ivoire vs. Ecuador, while Tyler Terens and Maurice Edu will call Sweden vs. Tunisia on FS1.
Rules coverage is built into the broadcast plan as well. Former referees Dr. Joe Machnik and Mark Clattenburg will serve as FOX Sports’ dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026™ rules analysts throughout the tournament.
Match assignments will be announced on a weekly basis once the competition is underway.
The Group Stage match assignments run from Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, July 19, with FOX Sports presenting all 104 tournament matches live across FOX (72) and FS1 (32). Every match will stream in 4K live and on-demand on FOX One.
This World Cup is already different before the ball is even kicked. FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be the first tournament hosted by three countries—United States. Mexico and Canada—with 48 teams playing 104 matches across 16 host cities. In the U.S. eleven cities are hosting: 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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FOX Sports FIFA World Cup 2026 Group Stage match assignments John Strong Stu Holden Jenny Taft Ian Darke Landon Donovan Alex Aljoe U.S. vs Paraguay Mexico vs South Africa