U.S. Soccer hosts Mexico in a FIFA World Cup Qualifier this month at MAPFRE Stadium, and FOX and Univision are planning extensive broadcast coverage in the lead up.
The match between the region's biggest rivals at sold-out MAPFRE Stadium falls on Veterans Day and opens the six-team, final qualifying round (also known as the "Hexagonal" or "Hex" for short) in the CONCACAF region for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Fans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be represented in Columbus following a ticket lottery during which U.S. Soccer received 16,868 valid requests for 56,270 tickets — more than double the seating capacity of 23,665 at MAPFRE Stadium.
The event has officially been set for 7:45 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on FS1, Univision and UDN.
Matchday coverage on FS1 begins at 7 p.m., with hosts Rob Stone, Herculez Gomez, Fernando Fiore and Alexi Lalas on set inside the stadium. FOX Sports' newest Facebook Live show "The Rec League" hosted by Stu Holden and Rachel Bonnetta heads to Columbus and streams special editions Thursday and Friday.
UDN will provide blanket access from 5 p.m-2 a.m., with Univision kicking off their activities at 7 p.m. anchored by Ivan Kasanzew.
In addition, Univision will have a comprehensive presence in Columbus beginning Nov. 7, with a host of shows broadcasting live throughout the week.
Daily UDN broadcast schedule during USA-Mexico week (all times ET):
6 p.m. Locura Deportiva
7 p.m. Futbol Club
11 p.m. Linea de Cuatro
12 a.m. Contacto Deportivo (Univision & UDN)
1 a.m. Linea de Cuatro
For the first time at a U.S. Soccer event, tickets are being issued only as mobile tickets. In an effort to minimize fraudulent resales, no paper, PDF or print-at-home tickets will be issued.
Dating back to a frigid night on Feb. 28, 2001, the quadrennial "Hex" encounter with Mexico in Columbus has grown to become the biggest recurring international soccer match on U.S. soil, with the Americans winning by the now familiar 2-0 (or "Dos a Cero") score line on each of the previous four occasions.
