ABC

ABC is an English-language television network that’s available on over-the-air television throughout the United States. ABC (American Broadcasting Company) began in 1948. It is currently in more than 97% of all households in the United States. That represents 305,347,338 residents with at least one television set. Its parent company is The Walt Disney Corporation, who also owns ESPN.

While ABC is very accessible via television, you can also stream its programming online. Plus the channel is available through providers including fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV as well as YouTube TV.

When you say the acronym A.B.C. to a soccer fan, what are the first thoughts that come to mind? Depending on what leagues or teams you watch, the answers could vary. It ranges from the MLS Cup, MLS playoffs and European Championships to LaLiga, Bundesliga and World Cup. Yes, ESPN/ABC had the rights to the FIFA World Cup. Some of the games were on the ABC network in 2010 and 2014.

ABC: A proud history of soccer coverage

More recently, American Broadcasting Company will be familiar to soccer fans for coverage of Major League Soccer and UEFA qualifiers for the European Championship. Plus the recent broadcast of a Barcelona game live from Camp Nou.

For the Euro 2020 tournament, ABC televised five matches. In total, it was two group stage matches, two round of 16, and one quarterfinal. ESPN televised 40 UEFA EURO 2020 matches, and ESPN2 aired six. It was the first UEFA European Football Championship matches on network television since 2008.

As far as talent goes, when soccer games air on ABC, the broadcaster utilizes the commentators, analysts and presenters from ESPN. After all, they all work for the same company (Walt Disney Corp.) at the end of the day.

If you go back quite a few decades, ABC will have been synonymous with the North American Soccer League (NASL). Here’s a clip to show you what their soccer coverage looked like in 1980: