Meet Fox's star-studded World Cup studio lineup, from Rebecca Lowe to Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Meet Fox's star-studded World Cup studio lineup, from Rebecca Lowe to Zlatan Ibrahimovic originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>The 2026 World Cup is the biggest ever, so Fox had to pull out all the stops for its coverage.

>The network is set to broadcast its third Men's World Cup and sixth overall, building off a decade's worth of soccer coverage in the United States. At this point, Fox has become synonymous with soccer, bringing a level of familiarity to the television coverage.

>Still, the network has some new faces on its coverage this year, familiar to fans in different ways. Fox is loaning some broadcasters from other networks and added analysts to make sure there is enough coverage to go around for the next six weeks.

>Here's a breakdown of who Fox will feature on its World Cup studio coverage.

>MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:

Who will win the World Cup in 2026? • >Updated FIFA World Rankings • >How World Cup qualifying works • >Explaining the expanded World Cup bracket • >Full list of teams to qualify for 2026 World CupMeet Fox's star-studded World Cup studio lineupHostsRob Stone

>Stone is Fox Sports' most frequent host, as he anchors the network's college football and soccer coverage. Stone has been with Fox since 2012 and has worked on five World Cups with the network, both men's and women's tournaments, beginning with the Women's World Cup in 2015. Before joining Fox, Stone covered soccer for ESPN when ESPN had coverage of the World Cup, MLS Cup and other marquee soccer events.

>Rebecca Lowe

>Since 2013, Lowe has been the primary studio host for NBC's Premier League coverage, and Fox is adding her on loan from Fox for the 2026 World Cup. Lowe got her start at the BBC in her native United Kingdom and also previously covered the Premier League for ESPN before NBC got the rights to the league. This will be Lowe's first World Cup since leaving ESPN.

>Jules Breach

>Breach was born in England and has worked for a variety of networks in her career covering soccer. Breach has previously worked for BT Sport, ITV, Channel 4 and CBS Sports, but now works for both TNT Sports and Fox Sports. This will be her first time covering the World Cup since joining Fox in 2024.

>Pien Meulensteen

>Meulensteen was born in the Netherlands and is the youngest of the four studio hosts at just 29 years old. She got her start in the Netherlands working for Ziggo Sport but has since also joined DAZN, Premier League TV, BBC Radio 5, Sky Sports, BBC One, CBS Sports and ITV. She is the daughter of Rene Meulensteen, a former player and manager who is currently an assistant on the Iraqi national team.

AnalystsAlexi Lalas

>Lalas is the face of Fox's soccer coverage. A longtime MLS centerback, Lalas played for the United States in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups and in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Lalas then joined the media with ESPN after he retired, and when Fox gained the rights to broadcast soccer, the network brought in Lalas. He has since been the main analyst in Fox's soccer coverage and will once again be the primary analyst in the studio.

>Carli Lloyd

>Lloyd was a member of the dominant United States Women's National Team, winning both the 2015 and 2019 Women's World Cups. Lloyd otherwise played professionally across several women's leagues until retiring in 2021, when she joined the media with Fox. Lloyd joined Fox in 2022 and covered both the 2022 Men's World Cup and 2023 Women's World Cup, making this her third World Cup as an analyst.

>Landon Donovan

>Donovan is one of the most famous soccer players in United States history, spending much of his playing career playing for the LA Galaxy in the MLS and as one of the USMNT stars. Donovan played in three World Cups from 2002-2010, scoring a key goal in 2010 that sent the United States to the knockout stage. This will be Donovan's third World Cup, as he will both be in the studio and broadcasting games alongside Ian Darke.

>Clint Dempsey

>Another legendary United States soccer player, Dempsey split time between the MLS and the Premier League while also representing the United States in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups. He retired from soccer in the late-2010s and joined Fox's soccer coverage, where he worked his first World Cup as an analyst in 2022.

>Thierry Henry

>As a forward, Henry enjoyed a long playing career, spending time across several leagues in Europe and the United States. He played in four World Cups from 1998-2010, and he became both a media member for Sky Sports and a manager after he retired in 2014. Henry briefly stopped working in the media to focus on coaching, but he returned to the media with CBS Sports in 2021, where he has been since. Fox is loaning Henry from CBS for the 2026 World Cup to add to its expansive coverage.

>Zlatan Ibrahimovic

>Ibrahimovic is one of the biggest personalities in soccer. The 44-year-old had a lengthy playing career as a striker across Europe and the United States, spending time with nine different teams from 1999-2023. As a Swedish-born player, though, Ibrahimovic appeared in just two World Cups, once in 2002 and again in 2006, but he is largely known for his outsized personality. This will be Ibrahimovic's first World Cup as a media member.

>Clarence Seedorf

>Seedorf had a long career as both a player and manager for most of his life. The 50-year-old played over two decades for six different teams in both Europe and Brazil, and he coached three different teams from 2014-19. While Seedorf dabbled in the media over the years, this will be his first World Cup with Fox, adding another layer to the network's coverage.

>Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez

>One of the youngest members of the panel is Hernandez, who joins Fox at just 38 years old. A Mexican native, Hernandez played professionally from 2006-25, including three times in the World Cup for Mexico in 2010, 2014 and 2018. This year marks Hernandez's first World Cup as a media member.

>John Obi Mikel

>Another recently retired player, Mikel played defense for seven teams in the United Kingdom, Norway, China, Turkey and Kuwait from 2004-21. He represented Nigeria on the national stage and played in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, missing the event in 2010 due to injury. Mikel is another new addition to Fox's World Cup coverage.

>Juan Pablo Angel

>Angel was born in Colombia and represented his country internationally, but never appeared in a World Cup match. Angel was left off the 1998 Colombian team, and Colombia didn't return to the World Cup until after Angel retired. Professionally, Angel played for seven teams from 1993-2014 as a forward, as Fox makes him another high-profile addition to the 2026 World Cup.

>Peter Schmeichel

>Schmeichel is a former goaltender who brings that unique perspective to Fox's coverage. A native of Denmark, Schmeichel spent over three decades as a goalie for seven different teams, and was on Denmark's World Cup team in 1998. He is another returning member of Fox's World Cup broadcasting team.

>Thiago Alcantara

>Alcantara is 35 years old, making him the youngest member of the panel. The former midfielder played for Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool professionally, and he played for Spain internationally, appearing in just the 2018 World Cup for the team. He retired from soccer in 2024 and is set to make his first World Cup media appearance this year.