Announcing Assignments for 1st Week of 2014 World Cup on ESPN

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As the World Cup prepares to kickoff in São Paulo on Thursday as host country Brazil takes on Croatia, ESPN will be ready to start its last Copa do Mundial until at least 2022. Ian Darke will call five matches in the first eight days, most of them will be with his old English Premier League partner Steve McManaman.

Other games will be called by ESPN World Cup standbys Derek Rae and Adrian Healey. New announcers Jon Champion, Daniel Mann and Fernando Palomo will also be busy in the first week.

Let’s take a look at the assignments for the first week of games in Brazil.

ESPN TV and Radio Commentators for 2014 FIFA World Cup, Week 1 (Through June 19)

Lead play-by-play commentator Ian Darke and analyst Steve McManaman will call the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup – Brazil vs. Croatia – from Sao Paulo on Thursday, June 11, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3 and WatchESPN, while JP Dellacamera and Tommy Smyth will provide commentary on ESPN Radio’s broadcast of the match.  ESPN’s comprehensive coverage of the tournament will include all 64 matches televised live on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN3 and WatchESPN, as well as 54 matches on ESPN Deportes and another 10 on ESPN Deportes+.  ESPN Radio will also broadcast all 64 matches. Additional highlights:

• Darke and Taylor Twellman will call Ghana vs. USA, the U.S. team’s first match of the tournament, on Monday, June 16, at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN;
• Fernando Palomo and Alejandro Moreno, ESPN’s English-language commentating team for Mexican National Team matches, will team to describe the action from Mexico vs. Cameroon on Friday, June 13, at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2;
• Jon Champion and Stewart Robson will make their ESPN FIFA World Cup debuts with Spain vs. Netherlands, a rematch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, on Friday, June 13, at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN;

ESPN’s 2014 FIFA World Cup match commentators include: play-by-play voices – Champion, Darke, Adrian Healey, Palomo, Derek Rae and Daniel Mann; and analysts –  Efan Ekoku, Kasey Keller, Roberto Martinez, McManaman, Moreno, Stewart Robson and Twellman. ESPN Radio’s commentators include: Dellacamera, Mark Donaldson and Ross Dyer; and analysts Shaka Hislop, Paul Mariner, Shep Messing, Janusz Michallik and Smyth. Assignments for subsequent matches will be announced as the tournament progresses.

2014 WORLD CUP TV SCHEDULE – ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC (All matches also airing on ESPN Radio)

* All times EASTERN * Schedule is subject to change * ABC broadcasts in italics

Date	Time (ET)	Network	Match	Group	Site	Match #
Thu 6/12	3:30 p.m.	ESPN	Brazil vs. Croatia TV: Ian Darke, Steve McManaman Radio: JP Dellacamera, Tommy Smyth	A	Sao Paulo	1
Fri 6/13	11:30 a.m.	ESPN2	Mexico vs. Cameroon TV: Fernando Palomo, Alejandro Moreno Radio: Ross Dyer, Shep Messing	A	Natal	2
	2:30 p.m.	ESPN	Spain vs. Netherlands TV: Jon Champion, Stewart Robson Radio: Dellacamera, Smyth	B	Salvador	3
	5:30 p.m.	ESPN2	Chile vs. Australia TV: Daniel Mann, Kasey Keller Radio: Dyer, Paul Mariner	B	Cuiaba	4
Sat 6/14	11:30 a.m.	ABC	Colombia vs. Greece TV: Adrian Healey, Taylor Twellman Radio: Dellacamera, Janusz Michallik	C	Belo Horizonte	5
	2:30 p.m.	ABC	Uruguay vs. Costa Rica TV: Champion, Robson Radio: Dyer, Mariner	D	Fortaleza	7
	5:30 p.m.	ESPN	England vs. Italy TV: Darke, McManaman Radio: Dellacamera, Smyth	D	Manaus	8
	8:30 p.m.	ESPN	Ivory Coast vs. Japan TV: Derek Rae, Efan Ekoku Radio: Dyer, Mariner	C	Recife	6
Sun 6/15	11:30 a.m.	ABC	Switzerland vs. Ecuador TV: Healey, Moreno Radio: Dyer, Messing	E	Brasilia	9
	2:30 p.m.	ABC	France vs. Honduras TV: Mann, Keller Radio: Dyer, Hislop	E	Porto Alegre	10
	5:30 p.m.	ESPN	Argentina vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina TV: Rae, Roberto Martinez Radio: Dellacamera, Smyth	F	Rio de Janeiro	11
Mon 6/16	11:30 a.m.	ESPN	Germany vs. Portugal TV: Champion, Robson Radio: Dyer, Messing	G	Salvador	13
	2:30 p.m.	ESPN	Iran vs. Nigeria TV: Rae, Ekoku Radio: Mark Donaldson, Mariner	F	Curitiba	12
	5:30 p.m.	ESPN	Ghana vs. United States TV: Darke, Twellman Radio: Dellacamera, Smyth	G	Natal	14
Tue 6/17	11:30 a.m.	ESPN	Belgium vs. Algeria TV: Healey, Ekoku Radio: Donaldson, Michallik	H	Belo Horizonte	15
	2:30 p.m.	ESPN	Brazil vs. Mexico TV: Palomo, Moreno Radio: Dellacamera, Smyth	A	Fortaleza	17
	5:30 p.m.	ESPN	Russia vs. South Korea TV: Mann, Keller Radio: Dyer, Messing	H	Cuiaba	16
Wed 6/18	11:30 a.m.	ESPN	Australia vs. Netherlands TV: Champion, Robson Radio: Donaldson, Michallik	B	Porto Alegre	20
	2:30 p.m.	ESPN	Spain vs. Chile TV: Darke, McManaman Radio: Dellacamera, Smyth	B	Rio de Janeiro	19
	5:30 p.m.	ESPN	Cameroon vs. Croatia TV: Rae, Keller Radio: Dyer, Messing	A	Manaus	18
Thu 6/19	11:30 a.m.	ESPN	Colombia vs. Ivory Coast TV: Healey, Moreno Radio: Donaldson, Messing	C	Brasilia	21
	2:30 p.m.	ESPN	Uruguay vs. England TV: Darke, McManaman Radio: Dellacamera, Smyth	D	Sao Paulo	23
	5:30 p.m.	ESPN	Japan vs. Greece TV: Mann, Ekoku Radio: Dyer, Mariner	C	Natal	22

ESPN Inc.’s 2014 FIFA World Cup in the United States

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be ESPN’s eighth World Cup and most comprehensive presentation to date.  ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will combine to air all 64 matches live and in high definition (June 12 – July 13). All ESPN and ESPN2 games will be available on WatchESPN, while ABC matches will be available on WATCH ABC. ESPN3, ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network available in more than 85 million homes, will present matches live in multiple languages (other than English and Spanish).

ESPN’s presentation of the 2014 FIFA World Cup will include comprehensive news and information coverage of the month-long soccer showcase with renowned journalists reporting on the tournament and the host country of Brazil. Additional English-language coverage of the quadrennial event will total more than 90 hours of original programming and will include SportsCenter at the World Cup, a nightly World Cup Tonight program, ESPN FC World Cup Encore, a 30-minute pre-match show, halftime and post-match segments, as well as a World Cup-branded ESPN Films 30 for 30: Soccer Stories series, E:60 shows, and access-driven long-form storytelling features.

ESPN garnered more than 40 industry awards, including three Sports Emmys, for its presentation of 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa – more accolades than any single event in the company’s history.

ESPN and Past FIFA World Cup Tournaments (Men’s):

South Africa 2010 – All 64 matches live and in high definition. All studio programming originated from South Africa
Germany ’06 – All 64 matches live and in high definition
Korea/Japan ’02 – 58 ESPN and ESPN2 matches live (six tape-delayed broadcasts on ABC)
France ’98 – ESPN 27, ESPN2 23 and ABC Sports 14 (all 64 matches live)
USA ’94 – ESPN, 41, and ABC, 11 (all 52 matches)
Mexico ’86 – ESPN, 15 matches (U.S. cable television rights)
Spain ’82 – ESPN, 7 matches

And we’re done here.

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