US broadcaster Fox Sports and regional soccer federation Concacaf have agreed to a multi-year English-language rights deal, which includes the 2021 and 2023 Gold Cups as well as USA men’s and women’s Olympic qualifiers and Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.
The announcement was made just a day before the start of the Concacaf women’s Olympic qualifying tournament, which includes USA, Jamaica, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti and St Kitts & Nevis who are competing for two regional spots at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
On January 28, cable network FS2 will broadcast USWNT v Haiti at 8.30pm ET, a game which will also be aired on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app. Fox Sports will also broadcast the Concacaf men’s Olympic qualifiers, taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico, in March.
Meanwhile, Fox is extending its English-language coverage of the Gold Cup, the region’s flagship men’s international competition, for the next two tournaments. Mexico’s 1-0 win over the US in the 2019 Gold Cup final was FS1’s most-watched non-World Cup soccer telecast ever, according to Fox.
The deal is also a significant boost for the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, which offers qualification to the Fifa Club World Cup. Last year, English-language streams were only available on Yahoo Sports in the US.
The move also signals something of a return to soccer coverage for Fox, which recently lost the US rights to the Uefa Champions League, the Bundesliga, the FA Cup and the Scottish Premier League.
“Fox Sports is an excellent partner for Concacaf and we are extremely pleased they have invested in our rights across so many competitions, beginning with what should be an exciting Women’s Olympic Qualifiers,” said Concacaf president Victor Montagliani. “They have an outstanding track record of delivering high-quality football coverage that reaches big audiences making this great news for fans, international teams across the region and clubs competing in our Champions League.”