Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports | Howard Smith/ISI Photos via Getty Images
There is reported tension between World Cup broadcasters Fox and Telemundo
Some American soccer fans have such a distaste for Fox Sports’ coverage of the 2026 World Cup that they’re willing to watch the broadcast in an entirely different language. And Telemundo is capitalizing on that fact.
According to a report from CNBC, there is “tension” between Fox and NBCUniversal, which owns Telemundo, as the Spanish-language network — which is the official Spanish broadcasters of the World Cup in the United States — has been actively courting English-speaking viewers through its Peacock streaming platform.
The network’s conscious efforts to court English-speaking viewers includes tapping American actor Owen Wilson as a spokesman for a pre-World Cup ad campaign, and a Telemundo announcer breaking into English to thank non-Spanish-speaking viewers for tuning in during a recent match.
Reports indicate that there is “tension” between NBC and Fox over Telemundo courting English-speaking viewers to its broadcast
“Packaging the language rights could also help eliminate some tensions between rival media companies airing the same games,” CNBC reported.
“Though Telemundo bought only the Spanish-language rights through 2026, it has claimed some unknown population of English speakers watching games in the U.S. via the Peacock streaming service, dampening Fox’s World Cup reach. Peacock charges just $10.99 per month, while Fox’s streaming service, Fox One, costs $19.99 per month.”
¡¡¡GOLAAAAAZO DE ARGENTINA!!! ¡¡¡GOLAAAZO DE LIONEL ANDRÉS MESSI!!! ¡¡¡APARECIÓ EL 10!!!
¡TREMENDO GOLAZO! Firma un zurdazo dentro del área para empatar el duelo ante Egipto. pic.twitter.com/ioUY9KoDkB
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 7, 2026
A recent NPR report stated that 20 percent of Telemundo’s World Cup viewers say English is their “primary language.”
Fox’s commentary team for the World Cup includes John Strong and Stu Holden, Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves, Ian Darke and Landon Donovan, Derek Rae and Rob Green, Ian Crocker and Danny Higginbotham, Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton, JP Dellacamera and Lori Lindsey, Mark Scott and Cobi Jones, and finally Tyler Terens and Maurice Edu.
The Round of 16 sees just the teams of Strong/Holden, Fletcher/Hargreaves, Darke/Donovan, and Rae/Green continue on the air.
Reviews of Fox’s commentary team have been mixed, to be kind. American announcers John Strong and JP Dellacamera also have their ever-present detractors, particularly the latter (whom you can hear in the below highlight). American fans have been enjoying Fox’s studio team — specifically established for the World Cup — of Rebecca Lowe, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic quite a bit, on the other hand.
I wonder why pic.twitter.com/SMc2sglKBr https://t.co/yrimlvM7BI
— Depressed Oracle Red Bull F1 Fan Account (@FlyoutChase) July 8, 2026
There’s also the situation surrounding the hydration breaks, which Fox has used to insert advertisements into — a practice that was called out by the Telemundo Broadcast earlier in the tournament. Fox Soccer mouthpiece Alexi Lalas is predictably a big fan of them, of course.