The 2015 Women’s World Cup will feature many firsts. The first time a senior tournament will be played on turf, the first time an expanded field of 24 teams will play in Canada and the first time in 11 years the Women’s World Cup will be aired on network television in the United States.
Tuesday it was announced that FOX Sports will be carrying all 52 games across three stations in what will be the most comprehensive coverage of the women’s pinnacle tournament.
FOX will air 16 of the games, including one semifinal, the third place match on July 4 and the final on July 5. FOX Sports 1 will feature 30 matches, including the entire round of 16, two quarterfinal games and the other semifinal, while FOX Sports 2 will carry the remaining six matches.
America’s fastest growing network will also feature pre and post game reports for up to 200 hours of total coverage by the time the tournament ends at BC Place in Vancouver. The network will average six to seven hours of tournament coverage a day between the opening kickoff on June 6 to July 5.
FOX will also make the games available across their digital platforms, the FOX Sports GO app and FOXSportsGO.com, on tablets and mobile devices.
“This is the most extensive coverage of the Women’s World Cup that has ever been permeated in the United States. I think our broadcast commitment is demonstrative of how strongly we believe not only in the women’s game but in soccer in general. I don’t think anyone will question Fox’s commitment to making this the new home field for soccer in the U.S,” said David Nathanson, the general manager for Fox Sports 1 and 2 in a Sports Illustrated article.
The network mentioned that it would not announce on air talent until after the New Year, but expect to be assigning on-air reporters for almost every game. Interestingly enough, FOX also announced its newest hiring on Tuesday, ESPN’s former soccer analyst Alexi Lalas. Lalas has stated he will be working on FOX’s 2015 and 2018 World Cup coverages.
ESPN aired has aired the previous five Women’s World Cup tournaments, including all 32 games in 1999, 2007 and 2011.
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