ZURICH – Fox won the English-language U.S. television rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Friday, outbidding ESPN and NBC for soccer’s showpiece tournament.
Fox agreed to pay more than $400 million for the two-tournament package, a person familiar with the bidding told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the figure was not made public.
ESPN paid $100 million to show the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 event in Brazil. The World Cup will be held in Russia in 2018 and in Qatar in 2022.
Telemundo was awarded the Spanish-language deal by also defeating a rights holder, Univision. Telemundo is owned by NBC Universal.
The contracts cover tournament finals in all FIFA competitions from 2015-22, also giving Fox the Women’s World Cup in 2015 and ’19. It also secured all radio rights.
“The FIFA World Cup and Women’s World Cup are two of the world’s biggest competitions,” Fox chairman David Hill said in a statement. “It is our privilege to be entrusted with these rights in the United States.”
Fox adds soccer’s biggest event to a portfolio of rights that includes the UEFA Champions League, the English Premier League and Italy’s Serie A.
The network is expected to
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