Fox Soccer Backs U.S. Bid for World Cup

NEW YORK: Fox Soccer Channel has become an official partner of the USA Bid Committee that is working to bring the FIFA World Cup to the U.S. in 2018 or 2022.

As part of the partnership, Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer Plus and Foxsoccer.com will begin a series of corporate sponsorship announcements. Announcing the alliance, Sunil Gulati, chairman of the USA Bid Committee and president of U.S. Soccer, noted: “The challenge and privilege of hosting a FIFA World Cup is enormous, as we are seeing here in South Africa. The same can be said for the bidding process. Corporate support is an important component to a successful bid, and now we’re very fortunate to count Fox Soccer Channel as a friend and official partner of our endeavor to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 2018 or 2022.”

David Nathanson, general manager of Fox Soccer Channel, added: "We are committed to using all of our resources to be a driving force behind support for the USA Bid.”

The U.S. submitted its bid to FIFA in May for both 2018 and 2022, as did the U.K. and Russia, as well as Netherlands/Belgium and Portugal/Spain in joint bids. Australia, Japan, Qatar and South Korea are vying just for 2022. The hosts for both tournaments will be announced in December. The 2014 Cup will be held in Brazil.