![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sonjafleming1500.png\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Sonja Fleming\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been three years since James Corden<\/a> signed off from CBS\u2019 The Late Late Show<\/a> after an eight-year run that brought us \u201cCarpool Karaoke,\u201d \u201cCrosswalk: The Musical,\u201d and helped redefine what a post-midnight network show could look like in the YouTube age.<\/p>\n It took FOX and the World Cup to woo the lifelong soccer fan back to the time period for a new 24-episode limited series that\u2019s set to blend comedy, celebrity guests, audience energy, and tournament reaction throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours with James Corden<\/a>\u2014a name that just \u201crolls off the tongue,\u201d as Corden quipped when the show was first announced<\/a> last month\u2014is the latest in a growing series of untraditional approaches to late night. With the former Late Late Show host at the helm, it also may be one of the more natural fits: an established late-night performer building a nightly show around a live event already designed to generate conversation.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we know about the show so far.<\/p>\n What Is FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours with James Corden?<\/p>\n FIFA World Cup on FOX After Hours with James Corden is FOX\u2019s new late-night companion show for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being jointly hosted this year by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.<\/p>\n The series will follow the network\u2019s coverage of key primetime matches with a comedic look at the tournament\u2019s biggest moments, storylines, personalities, and viral detours. FOX says the show will be built around Corden\u2019s \u201clifelong soccer fandom\u201d and will feature appearances from some of the biggest names in pop culture and the game.<\/p>\n At FOX\u2019s upfront, Corden described the idea more casually: \u201cWhat we\u2019re going to try and do is make it feel like if you couldn\u2019t meet up with your friends in a bar that night, we\u2019ll be there to have some fun.\u201d<\/p>\n Is This Really James Corden\u2019s Return to Late Night?<\/p>\n In practical terms, yes. It\u2019s not a revival of The Late Late Show, but it does reunite Corden with several of his collaborators from that show, and has him back hosting an hourlong network show after midnight, in front of a studio audience, with comedy and celebrity drop-ins.<\/p>\n At the same time, it\u2019s a limited series focused on the World Cup, making it more of a late-night-shaped sports entertainment experiment\u2014one that arrives at a moment when the definition of \u201clate night\u201d keeps stretching beyond the old desk-and-band template.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s Joining Corden?<\/p>\n Corden will be joined in studio by former England national team captain Rio Ferdinand and comedian Ian Karmel<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ferdinand brings some serious World Cup credibility. He played in three World Cups for England\u20141998, 2002, and 2006\u2014and has since become a prominent broadcaster in the U.K.<\/p>\n Karmel brings the late-night connection. He was a founding writer on Corden\u2019s version of The Late Late Show and later served as the show\u2019s head writer and in-studio sidekick. Karmel\u2019s extensive comedy writing credits include The Tonight Show<\/a>, the Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys, Tonys, and the Tom Brady roast.<\/p>\n How Much of Corden\u2019s Late Late Show Team Is Involved?<\/p>\n More than a little.<\/p>\n In addition to Karmel, four of the show\u2019s executive producers have ties to Corden\u2019s CBS run: Ben Winston, James Longman<\/a>, Gabe Turner, and Eric Pankowski.<\/p>\n That makes After Hours something of a partial Late Late Show reunion, even if the premise is coming through FOX Sports rather than a late-night entertainment division.<\/p>\n What Will the Show Actually Look Like?<\/p>\n Viewers can expect a nightly mix of tournament reaction, comedy, celebrity guests, and human-interest stories from around the 48-team field. FOX says the show will spotlight \u201cthe tournament\u2019s most talked-about moments and storylines of the day,\u201d while also looking for stories around viral fans, team-adjacent characters, and other World Cup oddities.<\/p>\n Corden has said the goal is \u201ca lighthearted look at the World Cup,\u201d covering the games and \u201canything that may have happened that day.\u201d<\/p>\n In other words, expect less hard-core match analysis and more Corden-style late-night energy filtered through the world\u2019s biggest sporting event.<\/p>\n Where Is It Being Produced?<\/p>\n The show will originate from Los Angeles on the FOX Studio Lot, marking a return to the City of Angels for Corden, who relocated his family from his native England for Late Late Show. They returned home after the show\u2019s finale in 2023.<\/p>\n When Will It Air?<\/p>\n The show premieres Thursday, June 11, the opening night of the tournament, and will air live on FOX around midnight ET. Fox Sports\u2019 overall World Cup coverage runs June 11 through July 19, with all 104 matches airing across FOX and FS1.<\/p>\n After Hours is currently set to air across 24 nights from June 11 through July 15, following the matches airing on FOX.<\/p>\n The show\u2019s full schedule follows below:<\/p>\n Thursday, June 11 \u2014 Korea vs. Czechia<\/p>\n Friday, June 12 \u2014 USA vs. Paraguay<\/p>\n Sunday, June 14 \u2014 Sweden vs. Tunisia<\/p>\n Monday, June 15 \u2014 Iran vs. New Zealand<\/p>\n Wednesday, June 17 \u2014 Uzbekistan vs. Colombia<\/p>\n Thursday, June 18 \u2014 Mexico vs. Korea<\/p>\n Sunday, June 21 \u2014 New Zealand vs. Egypt<\/p>\n Tuesday, June 23 \u2014 Colombia vs. Congo<\/p>\n Wednesday, June 24 \u2014 South Africa vs. Korea<\/p>\n Thursday, June 25 \u2014 Paraguay vs. Australia<\/p>\n Sunday, June 28<\/p>\n Monday, June 29<\/p>\n Tuesday, June 30<\/p>\n Wednesday, July 1<\/p>\n Friday, July 3<\/p>\n Saturday, July 4<\/p>\n Sunday, July 5<\/p>\n Monday, July 6<\/p>\n Tuesday, July 7<\/p>\n Thursday, July 9<\/p>\n Friday, July 10<\/p>\n Saturday, July 11<\/p>\n Tuesday, July 14<\/p>\n Wednesday, July 15<\/p>\n Can Fans Attend?<\/p>\n Yes. Free tickets are being offered through 1iota<\/a>, and audience members are being invited to arrive early for an in-studio watch party before each taping.<\/p>\n That detail may be key to the show\u2019s tone. FOX is not just booking a host to recap the day\u2019s soccer news; it appears to be building a live-room, postgame atmosphere around the broadcast itself.<\/p>\n Why It Matters for Late Night<\/p>\n After Hours arrives as live sports and live events in general have proven more durable than much of traditional broadcast programming. As general entertainment audiences continue to fragment, a sports-themed late-night show makes more sense than it might have even a few years ago: it gives late night the immediacy of a live event, the built-in storylines of a tournament, and the communal viewing energy that fueled late-night TV from the start.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first recent attempt to fuse sports and late night. In early 2025, ESPN launched They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce<\/a>, a limited-run show built around the NFL playoffs. But FOX\u2019s Corden series may be better positioned to test the idea at scale. Rather than asking an athlete to host a late-night show, FOX is putting an established late-night performer at the center of a global live sports event.<\/p>\n