FOX Sports Assembles International Broadcast Team for FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017
Studio Coverage Originating From Saint Petersburg and Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, FOX Sports unveils a marquee lineup of international broadcasters for its presentation of the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017, beginning Saturday, June 17, across the FOX Sports family of networks. The best-in-class broadcast team of play-by-play announcers, game analysts and studio commentators has more than 20 years combined international on-field and television experience, including FIFA World Cups, FIFA Confederations Cups, Olympic Games, UEFA European Championships, UEFA Champions League and CONCACAF Gold Cups. The announcement was made by David Neal, Vice President of Production and FIFA World Cup Executive Producer, FOX Sports.
“As a showcase for some of the world’s biggest stars, the FIFA Confederations Cup promises to be the ultimate soccer event this summer. It was a priority for us to assemble a world-class roster of talent to deliver unparalleled coverage for our viewers,” said Neal. “We are delighted to have a deep and internationally diverse lineup that possesses extensive knowledge and experience in soccer from a global perspective.”
FOX Sports’ impressive roster for its first Confederations Cup represents multiple countries and is comprised of three broadcast teams, plus studio coverage originating from two locations – Saint Petersburg and Los Angeles. Kate Abdo hosts studio coverage from Saint Petersburg alongside former U.S. MNT member Eric Wynalda and a rotation of analysts including German legend Lothar Matthäus and former coach Guus Hiddink, who led three different countries (Netherlands, South Korea and Australia) to the World Cup. Lead play-by-play announcer John Strong and former U.S. MNT member Stu Holden call the action live from multiple locations in Russia with Maria Komandnaya reporting from the sidelines. National Geographic Explorer Sergey Gordeev will also be in Russia, showcasing the host country’s cultural richness to the American audience. Francisco X. Rivera will be embedded with the Mexico National Team, providing in-depth reports throughout the tournament for television, digital and social media platforms.
Rob Stone anchors studio coverage from Los Angeles alongside former U.S. Hall of Famer Alexi Lalas, German star Arne Friedrich, two-time U.S. WMNT Olympic Gold Medalist Aly Wagner, former Mexican National Team member Mariano Trujillo and Emmy-award winning broadcaster Fernando Fiore.
In addition to pre- and post-match studio coverage, FOX Sports presents 10 editions of CONFEDERATIONS CUP TONIGHT featuring expert analysis and commentary of the day’s events. Fiore hosts the hour-long show alongside Lalas, Wagner, Trujillo, former U.S. MNT member Cobi Jones and Mexican broadcaster Jorge Perez-Navarro.
Broadcasting pairings for FIFA Confederations Cup are listed below:
Play-by-Play / Analyst
John Strong & Stu Holden
JP Dellacamera & Brad Friedel
Jorge Perez-Navarro & Cobi Jones
Studio Analysts
Alexi Lalas
Cobi Jones
Aly Wagner
Lothar Matthäus
Guus Hiddink
Mariano Trujillo
Arne Friedrich
Studio Hosts
Rob Stone
Kate Abdo
Fernando Fiore
Reporters
Sergey Gordeev
Maria Komandnaya
Francisco X. Rivera
Rules Analyst
Dr. Joe Machnik
FOX Sports televises all 16 FIFA Confederations Cup matches live from Russia from June 17 to July 2 across its portfolio of networks. Host nation Russia opens the tournament against New Zealand on Saturday, June 17 (FS1, 10:00 AM ET). The next day, Mexico squares off against Portugal at 9:30 AM ET on FS1. Other notable group stage matches include Germany-Chile on Thursday, June 22 (FS1, 1:00 PM ET) and Mexico-Russia on Saturday, June 24 (FOX, 10:00 AM ET). Semifinal coverage airs Wednesday, June 28 (FS1, 1:00 PM ET) and Thursday, June 29 (FS2, 1:00 PM ET). The third-place and final matches are set for Saturday, July 2 on FS1 (7:00 AM ET and 1:00 PM ET). The full schedule found here.
All matches can be live streamed via FOX Sports GO and FOX Soccer 2Go. FOX Sports GO is available on FOXSportsGO.com or on the FOX Sports GO app, which can be downloaded from iTunes, Google Play, Amazon App Store and Windows Store. Streaming is also now available on several connected devices, including Apple TV, Android TV, FireTV, Roku, Chromecast and Xbox One.
