FOX Sports VP, Studio Remote Operations, Rod Conti breaks down how the broadcaster covered the 2026 FIFA World Cup — and what it’s pulling off for the Final. Instead of anchoring at a single iconic location, FOX deployed seven studio sets across the U.S. as part of its “Follow the Fan” strategy, with a small team at its Pico facility in Los Angeles coordinating roughly 150 crew members in a role Conti compares to air-traffic control.
For the World Cup Final, that strategy reaches its peak: a three-hour pre-match show kicks off at Brooklyn Bridge Park before talent makes a 40-minute journey to MetLife Stadium via ferry across the Hudson, a helicopter flight past the Statue of Liberty to Teterboro Airport, and a police escort to the gate.
Conti also reflects on the tournament as a whole — crediting field crews as the “unsung heroes” who kept productions moving across host cities on tight timelines. And he calls it the biggest logistical challenge FOX Sports has ever undertaken.