FOX Sports is banking on beloved children’s characters to draw families to its FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage. The network announced a partnership with Sesame Street that will bring Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and other iconic characters into the broadcast booth starting 30 days before the tournament kicks off on June 11, 2026.
The collaboration marks the first time Sesame Street has partnered with a sports broadcaster for a World Cup, and it signals FOX’s aggressive strategy to reach younger viewers during the expanded 104-match tournament spreading across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Special content segments featuring the Sesame Street cast will air throughout FOX Sports programming, offering family-friendly interludes during what promises to be the most expansive World Cup coverage in American television history.
FOX Sports is pulling out all the stops for the tournament. The network plans to broadcast 69 to 70 matches live on its main channel—more than double the number it aired during the 2022 World Cup. The remaining games will air on FS1, while all matches will stream on FOX One and the FOX Sports app, combining for more than 340 hours of live coverage.
The strategy underscores FOX’s broader effort to leverage its premium sports asset to build audience loyalty across demographics, tapping into the nostalgia and trust that Sesame Street commands among parents and children alike.
