FOX Sports announced Tuesday that soccer commentator Ian Darke will join the network’s World Cup broadcast team as a new play-by-play announcer for this year’s tournament.
Qatar 2022 will mark Darke’s eighth World Cup.
He made his World Cup debut on American television with ABC and ESPN at the 1994 World Cup USA before calling matches for the networks at the 2010 World Cup, 2011 Women’s World Cup and 2014 World Cup. He also called FIFA World Cup matches for the world feed and covered both the 1982 and World Cups for BBC Radio and Eurosport.
Darke’s career in broadcasting began more than 40 years ago at BBC Radio, where he hosted the “Sports Report” show on Saturday afternoons.
In 2010, Darke joined ESPN as a play-by-play announcer and has since been a mainstay on the network’s soccer telecasts.
Today, he serves as lead commentator for the English Premier League and other major European league matches on BT Sport in the United Kingdom.
David Neal, executive producer of the World Cup on FOX and vice president of production for FOX Sports, looked forward to Darke’s contribution.
“Our worldwide search for potential FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 announcers yielded so many talented candidates, but when we saw we had the opportunity to have Ian bring his legendary voice and perspective to FOX Sports, it was a quick call and one we were thrilled to make,” Neal said in a statement. “We’re happy to have Ian joining us in Qatar and look forward to hearing his commentary when the competition kicks off on Monday, Nov. 21.”
