United States at the FIFA World Cup

Summary

The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) have participated in eleven editions of the FIFA World Cup, an international soccer competition contested by men's national teams representing members of FIFA. The tournament is held every four years by the top qualifying teams from the continental confederations under FIFA. The United States is a member of CONCACAF, which governs the sport in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, and has the second-most World Cup appearances from the confederation behind Mexico.[1]

The United States participated in the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and finished in the semifinals, which was later declared a third-place finish, their best result to date.[2] The tournament also featured the first hat-trick scored at a World Cup, awarded to American striker Bert Patenaude following recognition by FIFA in 2006.[3] After the 1950 World Cup, in which the United States upset England in group play 1–0, the U.S. was absent from the tournament until 1990. The United States participated in every World Cup from 1990 through 2014, but did not qualify in 2018, marking first time the team had missed a World Cup since 1986. They returned to the World Cup by qualifying for the 2022 edition.[4]

Overall record edit

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D L F A Squad Pld W D L F A
  1930 Semifinals[note 1] 3rd 3 2 0 1 7 6 Squad Qualified as invitees
  1934 Round of 16 16th 1 0 0 1 1 7 Squad 1 1 0 0 4 2
  1938 Withdrew Withdrew
  1950 Group stage 10th 3 1 0 2 4 8 Squad 4 1 1 2 8 15
  1954 Did not qualify 4 2 0 2 7 9
  1958 4 0 0 4 5 21
  1962 2 0 1 1 3 6
  1966 4 1 2 1 4 5
  1970 6 3 0 3 11 9
  1974 4 0 1 3 6 10
  1978 5 1 2 2 3 7
  1982 4 1 1 2 4 8
  1986 6 3 2 1 8 3
  1990 Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 2 8 Squad 10 5 4 1 11 4
  1994 Round of 16 14th 4 1 1 2 3 4 Squad Qualified as hosts
  1998 Group stage 32nd 3 0 0 3 1 5 Squad 16 8 6 2 27 14
    2002 Quarterfinals 8th 5 2 1 2 7 7 Squad 16 8 4 4 25 11
  2006 Group stage 25th 3 0 1 2 2 6 Squad 18 12 4 2 35 11
  2010 Round of 16 12th 4 1 2 1 5 5 Squad 18 13 2 3 42 16
  2014 15th 4 1 1 2 5 6 Squad 16 11 2 3 26 14
  2018 Did not qualify 16 7 4 5 37 16
  2022 Round of 16 14th 4 1 2 1 3 4 Squad 14 7 4 3 21 10
      2026 Qualified as co-hosts Qualified as co-hosts
      2030 To be determined To be determined
  2034
Total Semifinals 12/23 37 9 8 20 40 66 168 84 40 44 287 191


*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out

By match edit

World Cup Round Opponent Score Result Venue Scorers
1930 Group stage   Belgium 3–0 W Montevideo B. McGhee, T. Florie, B. Patenaude
  Paraguay 3–0 W Montevideo B. Patenaude (3)
Semifinals   Argentina 1–6 L Montevideo J. Brown
1934 Round of 16   Italy 1–7 L Rome A. Donelli
1950 Group stage   Spain 1–3 L Curitiba G. Pariani
  England 1–0 W Belo Horizonte J. Gaetjens
  Chile 2–5 L Recife F. Wallace, J. Maca
1990 Group stage   Czechoslovakia 1–5 L Florence P. Caligiuri
  Italy 0–1 L Rome
  Austria 1–2 L Florence B. Murray
1994 Group stage    Switzerland 1–1 D Pontiac E. Wynalda
  Colombia 2–1 W Pasadena A. Escobar (o.g.), E. Stewart
  Romania 0–1 L Pasadena
Round of 16   Brazil 0–1 L Stanford
1998 Group stage   Germany 0–2 L Paris
  Iran 1–2 L Lyon B. McBride
  FR Yugoslavia 0–1 L Nantes
2002 Group stage   Portugal 3–2 W Suwon J. O'Brien, J. Costa (o.g.), B. McBride
  South Korea 1–1 D Daegu C. Mathis
  Poland 1–3 L Daejeon L. Donovan
Round of 16   Mexico 2–0 W Jeonju B. McBride, L. Donovan
Quarterfinals   Germany 0–1 L Ulsan
2006 Group stage   Czech Republic 0–3 L Gelsenkirchen
  Italy 1–1 D Kaiserslautern C. Zaccardo (o.g.)
  Ghana 1–2 L Nuremberg C. Dempsey
2010 Group stage   England 1–1 D Rustenburg C. Dempsey
  Slovenia 2–2 D Johannesburg L. Donovan, M. Bradley
  Algeria 1–0 W Pretoria L. Donovan
Round of 16   Ghana 1–2 (a.e.t.) L Rustenburg L. Donovan
2014 Group stage   Ghana 2–1 W Natal C. Dempsey, J. Brooks
  Portugal 2–2 D Manaus J. Jones, C. Dempsey
  Germany 0–1 L Recife
Round of 16   Belgium 1–2 (a.e.t.) L Salvador J. Green
2022 Group stage   Wales 1–1 D Al Rayyan T. Weah
  England 0–0 D Al Khor
  Iran 1–0 W Doha C. Pulisic
Round of 16   Netherlands 1–3 L Al Rayyan H. Wright

By opponent edit

  Czechoslovakia and   FR Yugoslavia results listed under Czech Republic and Serbia respectively.

FIFA World Cup matches (by team)
Opponent Wins Draws Losses Played Goals Scored Goals Conceded
  Algeria 1 0 0 1 1 0
  Argentina 0 0 1 1 1 6
  Austria 0 0 1 1 1 2
  Belgium 1 0 1 2 4 2
  Brazil 0 0 1 1 0 1
  Chile 0 0 1 1 2 5
  Colombia 1 0 0 1 2 1
  Czech Republic 0 0 2 2 1 8
  England 1 2 0 3 2 1
  Germany 0 0 3 3 0 4
  Ghana 1 0 2 3 4 5
  Iran 1 0 1 2 2 2
  Italy 0 1 2 3 2 9
  Mexico 1 0 0 1 2 0
  Netherlands 0 0 1 1 1 3
  Paraguay 1 0 0 1 3 0
  Poland 0 0 1 1 1 3
  Portugal 1 1 0 2 5 4
  Romania 0 0 1 1 0 1
  Serbia 0 0 1 1 0 1
  Slovenia 0 1 0 1 2 2
  South Korea 0 1 0 1 1 1
  Spain 0 0 1 1 1 3
   Switzerland 0 1 0 1 1 1
  Wales 0 1 0 1 1 1

Results edit

Uruguay 1930 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   United States 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 4 Advance to the knockout stage
2   Paraguay 2 1 0 1 1 3 −2 2
3   Belgium 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0
Source: ESPN

All times local (UYT)

United States  3–0  Belgium
McGhee   23'
Florie   45'
Patenaude   69'
Report
Attendance: 18,346
Referee: José Macías (Argentina)

United States  3–0  Paraguay
Patenaude   10', 15', 50' Report
Attendance: 18,306
Referee: José Macías (Argentina)

Semifinals edit

Argentina  6–1  United States
Monti   20'
Scopelli   56'
Stábile   69', 87'
Peucelle   80', 85'
Report Brown   89'
Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
Attendance: 72,886

Italy 1934 edit

Round of 16 edit

Italy  7–1  United States
Schiavio   18', 29', 64'
Orsi   20', 69'
Ferrari   63'
Meazza   90'
Report Donelli   57'
Attendance: 25,000

Brazil 1950 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Spain 3 3 0 0 6 1 +5 6 Advance to final round
2   England 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 2
3   Chile 3 1 0 2 5 6 −1 2
4   United States 3 1 0 2 4 8 −4 2
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

All times local BRT (UTC-03)

Spain  3–1  United States
Igoa   81'
Basora   83'
Zarra   89'
Report Pariani   17'

United States  1–0  England
Gaetjens   38' Report
Attendance: 10,151
Referee: Generoso Dattilo (Italy)

Chile  5–2  United States
Robledo   16'
Cremaschi   32', 60'
Prieto   54'
Riera   82'
Report Wallace   47'
Maca   48' (pen.)

Italy 1990 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Italy (H) 3 3 0 0 4 0 +4 6 Advance to knockout stage
2   Czechoslovakia 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 4
3   Austria 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 2
4   United States 3 0 0 3 2 8 −6 0
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

All times local (CEST/UTC+2)

United States  1–5  Czechoslovakia
Caligiuri   60' Report Skuhravý   26', 78'
Bílek   40' (pen.)
Hašek   50'
Luhový   90+3'

Italy  1–0  United States
Giannini   11' Report
Attendance: 73,423

Austria  2–1  United States
Ogris   49'
Rodax   63'
Report Murray   83'
Attendance: 34,857

United States 1994 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Romania 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 6 Advance to knockout stage
2    Switzerland 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 4
3   United States (H) 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
4   Colombia 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
Source: FIFA
(H) Hosts

Ranking of third-placed teams

Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 D   Argentina 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6 Advance to knockout stage
2 F   Belgium 3 2 0 1 2 1 +1 6
3 A   United States 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
4 E   Italy 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4
5 B   Russia 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1 3
6 C   South Korea 3 0 2 1 4 5 −1 2
Source: FIFA
United States  1–1   Switzerland
Wynalda   44' Report Bregy   39'

United States  2–1  Colombia
Escobar   35' (o.g.)
Stewart   52'
Report Valencia   90'
Attendance: 93,869
Referee: Fabio Baldas (Italy)

United States  0–1  Romania
Report Petrescu   18'
Attendance: 93,869

Round of 16 edit

Brazil  1–0  United States
Bebeto   72' Report
Attendance: 84,147

France 1998 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Germany 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   Yugoslavia 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7
3   Iran 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
4   United States 3 0 0 3 1 5 −4 0
Source: FIFA

All times local (CEST/UTC+2)

Germany  2–0  United States
Möller   9'
Klinsmann   65'
Report
Attendance: 45,500

United States  1–2  Iran
McBride   87' Report Estili   40'
Mahdavikia   84'
Attendance: 39,100

United States  0–1  FR Yugoslavia
Report Komljenović   4'

South Korea–Japan 2002 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   South Korea (H) 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   United States 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4
3   Portugal 3 1 0 2 6 4 +2 3
4   Poland 3 1 0 2 3 7 −4 3
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
(H) Hosts

All times local (UTC+9)

United States  3–2  Portugal
O'Brien   4'
J. Costa   29' (o.g.)
McBride   36'
Report Beto   39'
Agoos   71' (o.g.)
Attendance: 37,306

South Korea  1–1  United States
Ahn Jung-hwan   78' Report Mathis   24'
Attendance: 60,778

Poland  3–1  United States
Olisadebe   3'
Kryszałowicz   5'
Żewłakow   66'
Report Donovan   83'
Attendance: 26,482
Referee: Lu Jun (China)

Round of 16 edit

Mexico  0–2  United States
Report McBride   8'
Donovan   65'

Quarterfinals edit

Germany  1–0  United States
Ballack   39' Report
Attendance: 37,337

Germany 2006 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Italy 3 2 1 0 5 1 +4 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   Ghana 3 2 0 1 4 3 +1 6
3   Czech Republic 3 1 0 2 3 4 −1 3
4   United States 3 0 1 2 2 6 −4 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

All times local (CEST/UTC+2)

United States  0–3  Czech Republic
Report

Italy  1–1  United States
Report

Ghana  2–1  United States
Report

South Africa 2010 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   United States 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5 Advance to knockout stage
2   England 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
3   Slovenia 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
4   Algeria 3 0 1 2 0 2 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria

All times local (UTC+02)

England  1–1  United States
Report

Slovenia  2–2  United States
Report

United States  1–0  Algeria
Report

Round of 16 edit

United States  1–2 (a.e.t.)  Ghana
Report

Brazil 2014 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Germany 3 2 1 0 7 2 +5 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   United States 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
3   Portugal 3 1 1 1 4 7 −3 4
4   Ghana 3 0 1 2 4 6 −2 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
Ghana  1–2  United States
A. Ayew   82' Report Dempsey   1'
Brooks   86'
Attendance: 39,760

United States  2–2  Portugal
Report
Attendance: 40,123

United States  0–1  Germany
Report
Attendance: 41,876

Round of 16 edit

Belgium  2–1 (a.e.t.)  United States
Report
Attendance: 51,227

Qatar 2022 edit

Group stage edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   England 3 2 1 0 9 2 +7 7 Advanced to knockout stage
2   United States 3 1 2 0 2 1 +1 5
3   Iran 3 1 0 2 4 7 −3 3
4   Wales 3 0 1 2 1 6 −5 1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
United States  1–1  Wales
Report

England  0–0  United States
Report
Attendance: 68,463

Iran  0–1  United States
Report
Attendance: 42,127

Knockout stage edit

Round of 16
Netherlands  3–1  United States
Report

Record players edit

Rank Player Matches World Cups
1 Landon Donovan 12 2002, 2006, 2010
2 Cobi Jones 11 1994, 1998, 2002
Earnie Stewart 11 1994, 1998, 2002
DaMarcus Beasley 11 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
5 Brian McBride 10 1998, 2002, 2006
Claudio Reyna 10 1998, 2002, 2006
Clint Dempsey 10 2006, 2010, 2014
8 Tab Ramos 9 1990, 1994, 1998
Eddie Pope 9 1998, 2002, 2006
10 Marcelo Balboa 8 1990, 1994, 1998
Eric Wynalda 8 1990, 1994, 1998
Michael Bradley 8 2010, 2014
Tim Howard 8 2010, 2014

Tim Howard world record On July 1, 2014, Howard was named man of the match, despite the United States losing 2–1 to Belgium after extra time in the round of 16.[7] During the match, he broke the record for most saves in a World Cup match with 15.[8][9][10][note 2] After breaking this record, his performance was celebrated worldwide on the internet, with the hashtag #ThingsTimHowardCouldSave trending on Twitter.[11]

Top goalscorers edit

Player Goals 1930 1934 1950 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2022
Landon Donovan 5 2 3
Clint Dempsey 4 1 1 2
Bert Patenaude 4 4
Brian McBride 3 1 2
Michael Bradley 1 1
John Brooks 1 1
Jim Brown 1 1
Paul Caligiuri 1 1
Aldo Donelli 1 1
Tom Florie 1 1
Joe Gaetjens 1 1
Julian Green 1 1
Jermaine Jones 1 1
Joe Maca 1 1
Clint Mathis 1 1
Bart McGhee 1 1
Bruce Murray 1 1
John O'Brien 1 1
Gino Pariani 1 1
Christian Pulisic 1 1
Earnie Stewart 1 1
Frank Wallace 1 1
Timothy Weah 1 1
Haji Wright 1 1
Eric Wynalda 1 1
Own goals 3 1 1 1
Total 40 7 1 4 2 3 1 7 2 5 5 3

Own goals scored for opponents

Media coverage edit

ABC edit

FIFA World Cup on ABC is the branding used for presentations of the FIFA World Cup produced by the American Broadcasting Company television network in the United States. ABC first broadcast World Cup matches in 1970, when they aired week-old filmed highlights shown on ABC's Wide World of Sports. ABC next broadcast the 1982 FIFA World Cup Final. Beginning in 1994, ABC was the official American network broadcaster of the World Cup up through 2014. ABC also broadcast the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999 and 2003; Fox took over the American World Cup TV broadcasts in 2011, which took effect in 2015.[12]

1970 edit

The first American telecast of a World Cup match was when NBC aired the final between England and West Germany from four years prior. NBC there, aired the contest on a same-day tape delay using the BBC’s black-and-white feed.

In 1970, it was ABC's turn to broadcast the World Cup final. While ABC aired the contest between Italy and Brazil in color unlike what NBC did in 1966, ABC decided to wait until Christmas, six months after Brazil won, to show it as part of an episode of Wide World of Sports.[13][14]

1982 edit

In 1982, PBS and ESPN provided the first thorough American television coverage of the FIFA World Cup. ABC[15][16] aired the first live telecast of the final. ABC aired commercials during the live action. Meanwhile, PBS aired same day highlights of the top game of the day.

Commentators

1994 edit

The 1994 FIFA World Cup marked the return of the World Cup on ESPN and ABC[21] and the first time they used their own commentary teams for all matches. Roger Twibell and Seamus Malin[22] were the lead broadcast team.[23] Al Trautwig and Rick Davis were the secondary broadcast team.[24][25][26] Other play-by-play announcers were: Bob Carpenter Bob Ley, Ian Darke, Randy Hahn, and Jim Donovan.[25][26] Other color commentators were: Clive Charles, Ty Keough, Peter Vermes,[27] Ron Newman, and Bill McDermott. Jim McKay was the studio host alongside studio analyst Desmond Armstrong only for games on ABC.

The 1994 American coverage had many firsts: The first with all of the matches televised, the first with no commercial interruptions during live action, and the first to feature an on-screen score & time box.

1998 edit

In 1998, all 64 matches were televised in the United States live for the first time. Bob Ley[28][29][30] and Seamus Malin was the lead broadcast team with other broadcast teams include: Roger Twibell and Mike Hill, JP Dellacamera and Bill McDermott, Derek Rae and Ty Keough, and Phil Schoen and Tommy Smyth. Brent Musburger and Eric Wynalda worked in the studio.

2002 edit

Unlike in 1998, when ESPN and ABC paid $20 million for the broadcast rights to the World Cup, the English-language rights for the 2002 and 2006 editions were sold instead to Major League Soccer for $40-50 million. Through an agreement with the Walt Disney Company, ESPN and ABC would air both tournaments at no cost, while MLS would cover production costs and sell advertisements via its newly-created marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing.[31]

In 2002, 59 matches were broadcast live, along with 5 rebroadcasts on ABC,[32] with coverage from Japan and South Korea carried live in the American late night graveyard slot.

Hockey play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards[33][34][35][36][37][38] and Ty Keough were the lead broadcast team and called the games live in South Korea and Japan. Other broadcast teams were: JP Dellacamera and Tommy Smyth, Glenn Davis and Shep Messing, and Mike Hill and Shep Messing, and Seamus Malin, however, they were based at the ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. Terry Gannon hosted in the studio alongside studio analysts Eric Wynalda and Giorgio Chinaglia.

2006 edit

The 2006 coverage from Germany was fully live as well. Dave O'Brien[39][40] joined Marcelo Balboa on the lead broadcast team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup coverage on ESPN and ABC Sports, despite having no experience calling soccer matches prior to that year. Because The Walt Disney Company, owner of both television outlets, retained control over on-air talent, the appointment of O'Brien as the main play-by-play voice was made over the objections of Soccer United Marketing, who wanted JP Dellacamera to continue in that role. Disney stated that their broadcast strategy was intended, in voice and style, to target the vast majority of Americans who do not follow the sport on a regular basis. Mispronunciation and incorrect addressing of names, misuse of soccer terminology, and lack of insight into tactics and history plagued the telecasts, resulting in heavy criticism from English-speaking soccer fans, many of whom ended up watching the games on Univision instead.[41]

Other broadcast teams included: JP Dellacamera and John Harkes, Glenn Davis and Shep Messing, Adrian Healey and Tommy Smyth, and Rob Stone and Robin Fraser. Brent Musburger returned for his 2nd World Cup as lead studio host with other hosts Rece Davis, and Dave Revsine. Alexi Lalas, Eric Wynalda, Julie Foudy, and Heather Mitts were the studio analysts.

2010 edit

The 2010 coverage from South Africa introduced ESPN 3D for 25 matches. ESPN's coverage of the 2010 World Cup has been widely recognized as a breakthrough in U.S. soccer broadcasting.[42] Esteemed commentator Martin Tyler[43] and Efan Ekoku led a team of all-British commentators in South Africa. Chris Fowler and Mike Tirico were the lead hosts in a studio set right outside of Soccer City in South Africa. Other broadcast teams were: Ian Darke and John Harkes, who called USMNT games, Derek Rae and Robbie Mustoe, Adrian Healey and Ally McCoist, and Jim Proudfoot and Roberto Martínez. Studio analysts were: Steve McManaman, Jurgen Klinsmann, Martínez, Ruud Gullit, Alexi Lalas, Shaun Bartlett, and Tommy Smyth. Bob Ley was another studio host, working his 4th World Cup. Reporters were: Jeremy Schaap (United States and Final), Julie Foudy, Allen Hopkins, Rob Stone, Selema Masekela, Andrew Orsatti (Australia), John Sutcliffe (Mexico), and Dan Williams[44]

2014 edit

The 2014 World Cup marked the end of the FIFA World Cup on ABC and ESPN. Ian Darke, Steve McManaman, and Taylor Twellman was the lead broadcast team, Jon Champion and Stewart Robson were the #2 team. Other play-by-play announcers were: Derek Rae, Adrian Healey, Daniel Mann, and Fernando Palomo. Color commentators: Craig Burley, Efan Ekoku, Roberto Martínez, Kasey Keller, and Alejandro Moreno. All commentators were in Brazil with the top 5 teams at the stadiums while the remaining team called matches off monitors in Rio. Mike Tirico was the lead studio host alongside other hosts Bob Ley and Lynsey Hipgrave with analysts: Alexi Lalas, McManaman, Michael Ballack, Moreno, Keller, Gilberto Silva, Santiago Solari, Martínez, Twellman, and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Reporters included: Jeremy Schaap (Lead), Julie Foudy, Bob Woodruff, John Sutcliffe, Rubens Pozzi.[45]

The 2014 coverage was available on mobile devices and tablets via the WatchESPN application, as well as on Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game consoles, live and on-demand, via the ESPN on Xbox Live application.

NBC edit

FIFA World Cup on NBC is the branding used for presentations of the FIFA World Cup produced by the NBC television network in the United States. NBC[46] was the official American network television broadcaster for the international soccer competition in 1966 and 1986.[47][48]

1966 edit

The first American coverage[49] of the World Cup consisted only of a previously filmed telecast of the 1966 Final on NBC.[50][51][52] The Final was aired before their coverage of the Saturday Major League Baseball Game of the Week. NBC used the black & white BBC feed and aired it on a two-hour film delay. This was the first time soccer had been shown in the United States as a stand-alone broadcast. Previously, ABC's Wide World of Sports had shown England's Football Association Cup on as long as a two-week delay.

1986 edit

On October 6, 1984. NBC's anthology series, SportsWorld[53] provided World Cup soccer qualifying coverage featuring the United States and the Netherlands Antilles.

1986 marked the first time that the World Cup had extensive live cable and network television coverage in the United States. ESPN carried most of the weekday matches while NBC[54] did weekend games. NBC aired seven[55][56] matches, including the "Hand of God" quarterfinal, with broadcasters on-site. NBC's theme music[57] for their 1986 coverage was Herb Alpert's[58] "1980", from his 1979 album Rise. It was originally a cue meant for the ill-fated 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics broadcasts. Meanwhile, ESPN aired about 25 matches that year, all with broadcasters in studio.

NBC's producers were forced to run the games' audio feed through telephone lines rather than through satellites. This was because the International Broadcast Center in Mexico City crossed up many communication lines. Consequently, various countries received commentary from others (or no sound or video at all). NBC in this case, received commentary from somewhere in Southeast Asia and so were forced to have Charlie Jones call collect and broadcast the Italy-Bulgaria opener via a handset telephone receiver. NBC lost the sound but still had video so Charlie Jones dialed collect again.

Commentators edit

Telemundo Deportes' edit

On October 22, 2011, Deportes Telemundo acquired the Spanish language rights to broadcast the FIFA Men's and Women's World Cup for around $600 million, replacing Univision as the tournament's Spanish language broadcaster, which began carrying the World Cup tournaments in 1970 (Fox acquired the English language U.S. broadcast rights through a separate agreement). The deal, which began with the 2015 Women's World Cup and runs through 2026, includes rights to associated FIFA-sanctioned tournaments (including the Men's Under 20 and Under 17 World Cups, and the Men's Beach Soccer World Cup), which will be telecast on Telemundo and NBC Universo; the deal was extended on February 12, 2015, to include rights to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[71][72][73]

On May 16, 2015, during Telemundo's 2015–16 upfront presentation in New York City, it was announced that Deportes Telemundo would be replaced by a new division initially known as NBC Deportes; the new division was formed as a branch of the English-language NBC Sports division, and be responsible for sports content for Telemundo, NBC Universo and related digital platforms. While it retained all existing sports telecast rights and programs aired by both Telemundo and NBC Universo, the latter network also began to expand its sports coverage, primarily in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics and the start of the division's contract with FIFA—whose first events included the 2015 U-20 World Cup and Women's World Cup.[74][75][76]

Fox Sports edit

The English television rights to the FIFA World Cup have been held by Fox Sports since the 2018 edition and are set to run through 2026. The rights were originally set to expire in 2022, but that tournament's move to a November–December schedule prompted FIFA to award the 2026 rights to appease Fox, who had prior commitments to air other sporting events during the period.[77] The 2022 World Cup broadcast was criticized for ignoring Qatar's human rights issues.[78] Telemundo holds the Spanish television rights to broadcast the FIFA World Cup in the United States; their contract was also renewed through 2026.[77]

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ "1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay 1930". FIFA.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018. The United States earned 3rd place over the loser of the other semifinal, Yugoslavia, because of a better goal differential (+1 to Yugoslavia's 0). No third place match was played.
  2. ^ FIFA's initial match statistics showed 16 saves, and many news sources continue to use this number. The official FIFA statistics were updated on July 5, 2014, to show 15 saves.

References edit

  1. ^ "Young U.S. team aiming to capture world's attention in Qatar". CONCACAF.com. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Helms, Andrew (July 1, 2014). "USA 3, Belgium 0! Or, Looking for Hope in the 1930 World Cup". The New Republic. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  3. ^ Williams, Jack (July 19, 2015). "Bert Patenaude, the forgotten hero who scored the first ever World Cup hat-trick". The Guardian. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
  4. ^ Goff, Steven (March 30, 2022). "The U.S. men's national soccer team qualifies for World Cup in Qatar". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "Referee designations for matches 1-16" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. June 5, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  6. ^ "Referee designations for matches 17-24" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. June 14, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 4, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
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External links edit

  • FIFA World Cup official site
  • FIFA World Cup: Through the years
  • A brief history of the World Cup, European Championship and Copa America on US TV
  • ABC News - FIFA World Cup
  • World Cup broadcasting history in the U.S.
  • The early days of World Cup broadcasting in the US