By Roy Denish
Fox Sports is facing a storm of criticism after viewers missed crucial moments of the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener when the network failed to return from a commercial break in time. The backlash intensified after Fox also skipped Shakira’s highly anticipated opening ceremony performance, leaving football fans questioning the broadcaster’s World Cup coverage priorities.
The Fox television channel came under severe criticism for cutting off the live broadcast of the World Cup match between South Africa and Mexico to take a commercial break, a move that triggered widespread outrage among football fans in the United States.
The network, often regarded as a major media ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, faced instant backlash on social media Friday when it failed to return to the stadium in time for the resumption of play during the second half of the 2026 tournament opener.
The programming error occurred during a mandatory FIFA hydration break, which took place shortly after Mexico’s Raúl Jiménez scored to give his team a 2–0 lead. Viewers were left staring at commercial advertisements while the match restarted, causing fans to miss the opening sequence of the final half-hour of play.
Adding to the frustration of English-language viewers, the network had earlier opted out of broadcasting the highly anticipated live opening ceremony performance by global pop icon Shakira at the Estadio Azteca. While rival Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo aired the musical showcase in full, Fox kept its cameras fixed on its Los Angeles studio crew for pregame analysis.
Representatives for FIFA and Fox Sports did not immediately comment on whether the commercial cutaway violated broadcasting guidelines, which require networks to return to the pitch at least 30 seconds before play resumes.
