Stephen A. Smith was mocked by World Cup fans after questioning whether France can finally win again on ESPN’s “First Take,” despite France winning the tournament twice, including in 2018. The backlash spilled into broader criticism of ESPN’s World Cup coverag
Stephen A. Smith may be known for sharper takes on the NBA and NFL, but on Wednesday’s “First Take” he stumbled badly when the conversation turned to the World Cup.
In the middle of discussion about the tournament. Smith questioned whether France “will finally win the World Cup this time around.” The problem is that the French have already lifted the trophy twice. including eight years ago in Russia in 2018. This time, France are again among the favourites, driven by a dangerous attack led by Kylian Mbappé.
Smith framed his argument through Mbappé, saying: “Really, for me, it’s about Mbappe for France. He scored two goals yesterday, he scored hat-trick in the final when they lost to Argentina (in 2022).”
He then added: “I’m wondering whether or not this is the year for France. I’m thinking about France because of Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) and how he just went home in the NBA Finals.”
Smith’s conclusion pushed viewers further into disbelief. He continued: “I’m wondering what France is going to do. Could this be the year that they finally get it done and they win the World Cup, considering what we saw Mbappe do yesterday and what we know he’s capable of.”
Online, viewers did not hold back. One sarcastic comment read: “This is the elite journalism and coverage we have come to expect from @ESPN. Once the worldwide leader in sports highlights and elite punditry, now just a talk show slowly deteriorating towards ‘The View’.”
Another wrote: “Someone tell @StephenASmith to not talk about things he doesn’t know about. Let the experts talk about the World Cup.”
A third posted: “Ladies and gentlemen: the highest paid sports reporter, err analyst, err ‘personality’ in America”.
Others homed in on what they saw as a recurring pattern—Smith picking the wrong topic. One viewer insisted: “This is what I always tell folks. Don’t be the person who thinks you can comment on everything. You have you niche. Stick to it.” Another added: “This is the thing about Stephen A. Let him talk about basketball. He’s embarrassing when he steps out.”.
There was also direct pushback on the specific point about France. One fan declared: “This is crazy,” before writing: “France won in 2018 and were finalists beaten on penalties in 2022. What does he mean could this be the year?. You can tell they are just covering soccer because it’s in the US. My guy doesn’t know anything about football.”.
The public mockery landed at a time when scrutiny around ESPN’s World Cup approach was already growing. A report by Front Office Sports on Tuesday said Fox executives were unhappy with ESPN’s level of attention to the tournament across its biggest shows.
Fox and FS1 have exclusive rights to every single World Cup game in America after paying $485 million to FIFA. They took over as rights holder from ESPN in 2018.
Fox’s dissatisfaction. the report said. was sparked especially by what they viewed as ESPN’s lack of focus on the USMNT. That came after Mauricio Pochettino’s team enjoyed a perfect start to the tournament on home soil with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on Friday. The win was described by Fox analyst Alexi Lalas on air as “the perfect game.”.
Fox executives believed they saw very little coverage of that performance. “We’re talking about a historic performance by Team USA. Where in the hell was ESPN?” one source questioned.
Fox has since rejected any suggestion of a feud. A spokesman said: “This is simply not true.”
They added: “We are focused on our own coverage of the biggest event in the world, not on what others choose to air. And frankly, it’s insulting to ESPN to suggest they would pass on covering it. This is all absurd.”
What started as a TV segment ended up becoming a wider flashpoint—one that left fans pointing to what they call a mismatch between the show’s authority and its World Cup knowledge.
Stephen A. Smith ESPN First Take World Cup France Kylian Mbappé Victor Wembanyama Fox FS1 USMNT Paraguay Mauricio Pochettino Alexi Lalas