FOX Sports acquire Coupe de France rights in USA
Just weeks after FOX Sports signed a deal to broadcast MLS games for the next four years, FOX have signed yet another soccer rights deal. This time, FOX Sports have acquired Coupe de France rights in the United States to bring French Cup games to viewers.
Coupe de France rights are marketed by the French Football Federation (FFF). It’s a separate rights deal to France’s Ligue 1, which is run by LFP (Ligue de Football Professionnel).
In the Coupe de France, the competition is open to all French soccer clubs. For the 2022/23 season, the cup competition had more than 7,000 clubs competing through all of the qualifying rounds. The Round of 64 kicks off on January 6th (see the Coupe de France schedule for more details).
Where FOX Sports Coupe de France games will air
Soccer fans interested in watching Coupe de France games will find many of them across several FOX channels. Most of the games televised air on FOX Soccer Plus, followed by a smaller number on FS2. For the Round of 64 later this week, none of the games are on FS1 or FOX.
Nevertheless, it’s an opportunity for soccer fans to watch giants such as Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Marseille battle smaller teams. For example, PSG travels away to play LB Châteauroux, a team in the third tier of French football. Fourth tier Hyères FC, meanwhile, plays Marseille this weekend.
Similar in format to England’s FA Cup, Coupe de France began in 1917. It is France’s renowned knockout cup competition spanning throughout the regular season.
As of November, the FFF had difficulty finding a broadcaster in France interested in broadcasting the competition. But beIN SPORTS came to the rescue in December to continue showing games on French TV through 2026.
Previously, beIN SPORTS had the rights to Coupe de France games in the United States, but that deal concluded at the end of 2022. While FOX Sports begin broadcasting Coupe de France games later this week, beIN SPORTS still have rights to the competition to viewers in Canada.
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