Fox Sports’ EURO 2024 and Copa America 2024 Virtual on Stage A of the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles … [+]
24 hour soccer.
For a few days this summer, American soccer fans The Beautiful Game Due to the time difference between UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany and CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 in the United States, it will be a long weekend with four or five consecutive matches per day, with matches running from early in the morning until late at night.
The crossover will begin at 8 a.m. ET on June 20, with highlights of the day including England v Denmark in Frankfurt and Spain v Italy (a rematch of the Euro 2020 semi-final) in Gelsenkirchen, before the start of the Copa America between Argentina and Canada at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
While it sounds like a perfect day for soccer fans, for broadcaster Fox Sports it’s a huge undertaking that requires a lot of preparation.
“We’ve been preparing for months to ensure we’re fully rehearsed so our production staff and teams know exactly what’s on tap for the day,” said Zach Kenworthy, Fox Sports’ vice president of production.
Kenworthy said the most games Fox Sports has ever aired was 64 World Cup matches, so the combined 78 games from both tournaments will be the most the network has ever aired.
But it’s allowed Fox Sports to add players like former Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and former England forward Daniel Sturridge to its roster. Kenworthy said that with a “huge arsenal” and everything revolving around Fox’s Los Angeles studio, having all the resources in one place makes managing work schedules a little easier. He said production staff are effectively replaced during “line changes” to make sure everyone is fresh when they wake up at 2 a.m. Pacific time to start work.
The broadcaster is also committed to transforming its studio into what it has dubbed a “cathedral of football”.
Rather than green screens, the studio is using LED XR screens, which Fox first used while filming the Star Wars movie, “The Mandalorian.” These screens can create a more realistic environment for people on camera, but can also be virtually augmented using virtual reality.
Zach Fields, senior vice president of technology and innovation, said the idea for a cathedral-like virtual studio was born from a chance encounter during a trip to New Zealand with architect Damien van Brandenburg, who actually helped Fox Sports design the studio using a 3D renderer.
Fields said that if the virtual environment were to actually be built in the real world, it would need to be more than 50,000 square feet and would use virtual cameras to move the audience from room to room, making the studio segments feel more interactive.
One of the studio commentators for Euro 2024 is former United States international Stu Holden, a soccer fan who says he’s “very excited” about the “marathon” that lies ahead over the next five or six weeks.
As well as being in studio for the Euros, Holden will also be in the stadium co-commentating for U.S. matches and other big Copa America games. In the studio, analysts can only cover “the tip of the iceberg,” he says, but in-game commentary allows him to peel back layers and tell a different kind of story, involving a deeper level of research into players’ backgrounds, styles and tendencies.
Holden believes Portugal are the team to surprise at the Euros and has praised the work of manager Roberto Martinez, while he also predicts Argentina will be one of the teams to reach the Copa America finals.
In some ways, this summer is a kind of dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup, especially since the U.S. will be hosting the Copa America.
While Fox Sports has done a lot of American football coverage in stadiums in the U.S., a big tournament like the Copa America is a bit different. Kenworthy said that while Fox Sports is often the sole broadcaster in a tournament like the NFL, at bigger tournaments it competes with multiple broadcasters and commentary booths for space. In that respect, the Copa America will provide important input into the best in-stadium setups for the 2026 World Cup.
Holden said the tournaments will feel like mini World Cups, and that being in the stadiums will give him the same adrenaline rush he got when he was playing. “To be honest, these tournaments are what it’s all about for us,” he said.
