Full Breakdown
JP Dellacamera Calls It Quits on World Cup Broadcasts After Four Decades
7/11/2026, 10:22:15 PM
Core Event
JP Dellacamera announced that the Switzerland-Algeria round-of-32 match in Vancouver on July 2 marked his final World Cup assignment. After calling 11 men’s and seven women’s tournaments over 40 years, the 74-year-old chose to step away from the sport’s biggest stage.
Background & Context
Dellacamera’s career spans six U.S. networks—ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and TNT—and includes landmark calls such as the 1999 women’s final that propelled the sport into the American mainstream and the 2015 women’s final in BC Place, where Carli Lloyd’s hat-trick secured the U.S. title. In 2018 the National Soccer Hall of Fame presented him with the Colin Jose Media Award, the first time a play-by-play broadcaster received the honor. Fox’s recent loss of both men’s and women’s World Cup rights (Netflix will carry the 2027 tournament in Brazil and the 2031 edition slated for the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica) coincided with Dellacamera’s decision.
Official Statements & Responses
Dellacamera told The Inquirer that his retirement was “not a hasty decision…the right time.” He emphasized health concerns and the uncertainty of network rights as factors that have long shaped his outlook. While he will continue calling NWSL matches for CBS Sports and ION for “two or three more years,” he remains open to future Fox assignments such as the 2028 European Championship or the Concacaf Gold Cup if the network requests his services.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Every year since 2006, the [men’s] World Cup in Germany, I have always looked at it like this could be the last one.” — JP Dellacamera
- “I’ve never taken World Cups for granted,” — JP Dellacamera
- “If Fox had [the World Cup] and they wanted me, I would stay with it,” — JP Dellacamera
- “People have said a lot of kind things to me over the years,” — JP Dellacamera
What’s Next
Dellacamera plans to remain active in NWSL broadcasting through at least the next two seasons and may contribute to other Fox soccer properties, pending future contract discussions.
