themirror
Former ESPN president John Skipper lashed out at FOX Sports coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
FOX Sports is the official English-language broadcaster of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, and the coverage has received mixed reviews.
Alongside host Rebecca Lowe, the high-profile cast of analysts headlined by Thierry Henry, Alexi Lalas, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have butted heads on more than one occasion.
Ibrahimovic seemingly called Lalas ignorant following Frances 3-1 win over Senegal at New York/New Jersey Stadium, and while tensions have been high in the studio , their jovial mocking of one another alongside analysis has proved a hit.
But one big name in the business is not a fan.
Skipper, who became senior vice president at ESPN in 1997, appeared on a recent episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out.
The 70-year-old made it clear that it bothers him that FOX has the rights to the biggest soccer tournament in the world, which is also the most talked-about event in the world.
Does it bother me that I put on the television and I have to watch Fox in order to see the World Cup? Yeah, hell yeah, it bothers me, Skipper said.
Somebody asked me how they were doing in production, and I finally found the right answer.
Its the second-greatest production of the World Cup ever.
So theyre doing okay.
But its not the greatest production of the World Cup ever.
To listen to the latest episode of 'All Out Soccer' - CLICK HERE Skipper then insisted ESPNs World Cup coverage in previous years was more impressive and superior to FOXs effort this summer.
He added: I take pride in the fact that we at ESPN were right about this, that George [Bodenheimer] supported me, we went out and did it.
We built the World Cup in 06, 10, and 14.
We celebrated the event, we spent a boatload of money doing stories..
Wright Thompson went into the favelas to do reports, in South Africa Sal Masekela took us inside Soweto, we had Hugh Masekela do the music.
We did stories, we did documentaries, we had shoulder programming.
We had studio shows that lasted overnight.
I watched Netherlands-Morocco the other night, what a game, and its over.
They go to like nine hours of commercials, and I think James Corden is coming on for some reason..
I wanted to watch five hours of commentary, to listen to people break the game down.
FOX Sports World Cup coverage has impressed its viewership.
Throughout the tournament, the World Cup has drawn viewership numbers similar to those of popular college football, NFL, and NBA programs.