FOX to broadcast less than half of UEFA Nations League games

Out of the 53 UEFA Nations League games scheduled for September 21-27, FOX Sports are airing three on FS1, ten on FS2 and ten on FOX Soccer Plus. In total, that’s 23 out of 53. That means that FOX Sports is broadcasting less than half of the games.

Subsequently, in a deal reached last year, FOX Sports have sub-licensed the streaming rights to the games to fuboTV. With this in mind, fuboTV is streaming every single one of the 53 matches to viewers in the United States.

More games on streaming than cable and satellite

For fuboTV subscribers, that’s excellent news, offering every single game in English-language. FuboTV kicks off its coverage of the UEFA Nations League with Scotland facing Ukraine on Sep. 21.

However, it’s not just that FOX Sports are showing 43% of the games on their channels. It’s that the games selected for television coverage leave much to be desired. Yes, there are some big matches planned for FS1. FOX Sports 1 hosts Belgium and Wales on Sep. 22. But the following day, Italy battles England in a Euro 2020 Final rematch exclusive to fuboTV. England is in action again when it hosts Germany on Sep. 26 on FS1. Finally, the Netherlands takes on Belgium on fuboTV on the final day of matches.

On the other hand, many of the games on FS2 and FOX Soccer Plus feature less popular matchups such as Estonia vs Malta, Moldova versus Liechtenstein, Montenegro against Finland, Kazakhstan versus Belarus, and so on.

Meanwhile, streaming service fuboTV also gives viewers access to interactive product features. This means subscribers can see live stats and scores from other Nations League matches on the same screen as the game. Apple TV users can watch up to four of these matches at the same time, as well, by using fuboTV’s Multiview feature.

fuboTV’s coverage of every UEFA Nations League game is available to subscribers who have the Pro, Elite or Ultimate plans.

FOX reveals UEFA Nations League talent

FOX Sports regulars John Strong and JP Dellacamera will be the main commentators for these matches on FS1. Former USMNT stars Stu Holden and Cobi Jones are the match analysts for the network.

The network’s on-air studio talent includes Alexi Lalas, Maurice Edu, and Clint Dempsey.  Former Premier League official Mark Clattenburg will also be available during FOX’s live coverage to help explain any controversial or interesting referee decisions.

The UEFA Nations League is a biennial tournament that includes senior men’s national teams throughout Europe.  UEFA, the sport’s governing body in the continent, implemented the tournament in 2018. UEFA designed the competition to replace otherwise insignificant friendly matches during international breaks.

Each UEFA Nations League tournament essentially takes about a full year to complete. The current version began earlier this summer. The final concludes the ‘league’ on June 18, 2023. Upcoming matches are in the matchday four and matchday five phase of the current campaign.

In addition to the above coverage, Italy-England and Wales-Poland will be available via pay-per-view. PPV matches can be found on iN Demand, DIRECTV and DISH.

Additional reporting by Christopher Harris

Photo credit: IMAGO / Pressefoto Baumann