World Cup 2026: Zlatan Ibrahimović really doesn't seem to respect Fox co-host Alexi Lalas

"Three's a crowd" is a cliché for a reason. It's playing out for the world to see on Fox's World Cup anchor desk.

>In addition to host Rebecca Lowe, the desk features three retired World Cup veterans as analysts — French great and 1998 World Cup champion Thierry Henry, Sweden's all-time leading goal-scorer and two-time World Cup participant Zlatan Ibrahimović, and Alexi Lalas, the face of USA's 1994 World Cup team the last time the tournament was held on U.S. soil.

>Through the first week of the tournament's coverage, Lalas is clearly the odd man out. Just listen to his fellow analysts, who appear to have run out of patience with Lalas with a full month remaining of World Cup coverage.

Is Zlatan's and Henry's tension with Lalas real?The latest example played out Friday as Lalas was away from the desk to cover USA's win over Australia in Seattle. Here's how news that Lalas was gone hit the desk when Lowe announced it on the early Friday broadcast:

Lowe: "Chaps, Alexi left us." Ibrahimović: "Who?" Lowe: "Alexi will be back." Henry: "Your plan worked, Rebecca." Lowe: "Don't you bring me into this, no chance." Ibrahimović, to the camera: "America, you're welcome."

>Lest you conclude that's just good-natured ribbing among former athletes that prevalent on any sports broadcast desk, take into consideration the following interactions:

Ibrahimović, Henry play keepaway from LalasHere's video from the studio of Henry, Ibrahimović and, notably, not Lalas showing off some soccer skills with each other. The video starts with Henry faking a pass to Lalas then gloating into the camera after juking out his co-host.

The video goes on to feature more than a minute of Ibrahimović and Henry doing tricks and passing the ball back and forth with no further sighting of Lalas.

>Ibrahimović gleefully shared it on social media with the caption: "The studio will never forget"

Ibrahimović implies Lalas' analysis is 'ignorant'The context here appears to be lack of respect by Ibrahimović of Lalas' presence and analysis on the air. Take, for instance, this commentary following France's 3-1 win over Senegal in the first round.

>Henry took issue with former U.S. player Landon Donovan calling France "arrogant" and "casual" after a scoreless first half. Lalas resurfaced the topic on the postgame set and agreed with Donovan that France was playing "arrogant."

"We can have that discussion but the reality is that if they are arrogant, it's because they can do things like that," Lalas said. "The patience that they showed after a poor first half to come back and provide a masterful second half with the talent that they have, and the big stars showing up, that's pretty special."

Ibrahimović had this to say to close out the conversation:

"It's not arrogance, it's confidence," Ibrahimović said. "Ignorant people will say it's arrogance, intelligent people will say it's confidence."

>Notice Henry's eyes after Ibrahimović's thinly veiled implication that Lalas is "ignorant." Lowe could only manage to laugh it off before steering the conversation elsewhere.

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Zlatan's lie detector bitThen there's Ibrahimović's lie detector bit on Fox's nightly World Cup wrap show, "After Hours with James Corden."

>For his last question of the bit with Ibrahimović' strapped up to a lie detector, Corden asked: "Do you respect the opinions of all of your fellow Fox Sports analysts?"

>Ibrahimović' answered, simply, "yes."

>It was Ibrahimović's only answer of that bit that was determined to be a lie.

The bit, of course, was fodder for back on the set. Ibrahimović couldn't resist the opportunity to take another shot at Lalas.

This crew has four more weeks working together. It will be interesting to watch everything play out.