U.S. Television to Cover All of World Cup

All 64 soccer games of the 1998 World Cup in France will be broadcast on English-language television in the United States under an agreement announced Thursday by FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, and ABC Sports.

Dennis Swanson, president of ABC Sports, said the network will broadcast a minimum of 14 games--live and without commercial interruption--and ESPN and ESPN2 will carry the remainder.

In securing the U.S. English-language rights to the tournament for a reported $23 million, Swanson said ABC will carry all of the American team’s matches if the team qualifies. ESPN will also show some U.S. qualifying games later this year and next.

ABC’s 14 games from France are expected to include the opening ceremony and match from Paris, the quarterfinals, semifinals and final. The 15th World Cup will be played June 10-July 12, 1998, in nine French cities. A total of 172 countries have entered, and qualifying begins March 1.

Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, FIFA’s general secretary, said negotiations are continuing on the sale of foreign-language rights in the United States, adding that FIFA also is doing what it can to make sure that NBC provides at least some coverage of the men’s and women’s Olympic tournaments this summer from Atlanta.