Collaboration Allows for Both Brands to Reach New Audiences and Educate Fans About the Historic Cultural Event
WATCH HERE: FOX Sports Kicks Things Off with Sesame Street
LOS ANGELES – In celebration of today marking 30 days to go until the start of FIFA World Cup 2026™, FOX Sports, America’s English-language home for the tournament, announces a first-of-its-kind collaboration with iconic children’s brand Sesame Street.
As part of the collaboration, beloved characters from the legendary show will be integrated into FOX Sports’ World Cup programming through special content segments, kicking off today, and rolling out across the tournament from Thursday, June 11, to Sunday, July 19. The unique collaboration allows both FOX Sports and Sesame Street to surprise and delight kids and families, reaching new audiences around the world’s game, tied to what will be the biggest FIFA World Cup™ in history.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with one of the most adored children’s franchises in the world for FIFA World Cup 2026™,” said FOX Sports Vice President of Production Zac Kenworthy. “By collaborating with Sesame Street, we’re adding a fun and educational element that brings families together around the FOX Sports viewing experience.”
Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and friends will appear on FOX Sports programming and across World Cup telecasts throughout the summer. The content segments highlight the beautiful game in fun ways, all in the authentic voices of the fan-favorite characters audiences have grown to love. Segments include, “The Count Down” featuring Count von Count breaking down the tournament’s biggest stats; “Trash Talk” with Oscar the Grouch leading a satirical highlight show featuring “grouchy” moments on-and-off pitch; a “Broadcaster Bootcamp” where Grover teams with FOX Sports broadcasters to learn the nuances of calling a major soccer game; and more.
“The World Cup is one of the biggest cultural moments of the year, and a powerful opportunity to engage families with our beloved Sesame Street characters in new and unexpected ways,” said Samantha Kennedy, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Strategy at Sesame Workshop. “Through this collaboration with FOX Sports, we’re creating memorable moments that resonate with families and fans of all ages — all in service of our nonprofit mission to help children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.”
The Muppets of Sesame Street are looking forward to the FIFA World Cup:
“Me been told you can’t use your hands in soccer so me been practicing eating cookies without me hands to get ready for the World Cup,” said Cookie Monster.
“I am counting the days until the World Cup,” added The Count. “I am also counting the number of teams, how many games they will play, the number of spectators. Here I go! 1… 2… 3… Are we in a rush? I might be here a while.”
From Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, July 19, FOX Sports will be America’s official English-language home for FIFA World Cup 2026™ presenting all 104 tournament matches live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming in 4K live and on-demand on FOX One. The biggest-ever edition of the global showcase, FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be the first tournament hosted by three countries – United States, Mexico and Canada – with 48 teams playing 104 matches across 16 host cities. Eleven cities will be hosting the tournament in the U.S. including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area.
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