Category: FIFA

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: 2026 FIFA World Cup is a Win Win for the United States

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the match schedule for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC on Sat Dec 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

2026 FIFA World Cup is a Win Win for the United States

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

For the second time in history, the FIFA World Cup will be held in the United States. The first time was 1994. As a Sports Anchor/Reporter for Telemundo 48 San José, it was a privilege to cover the 1994 US World Cup, a truly spectacular event unique in the world, in the final match, in which Brazil beat Italy 3-2 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in a penalty shootout to win it all.

The 1994 World Cup was the most financially successful in history and set attendance records that have yet to be broken, but will be broken this next year, and again here in the US. I will explain further in this article. It was an unforgettable event.

At that time, the 1994 US World Cup (Fútbol, Soccer) was not very popular in the US. At Telemundo 48 in San José, I used to get lots of calls from people in the Bay Area asking me to give scores on the air of many regular Fútbol games in Latin American Pro-Fútbol leagues, which came from México to Argentina, to Europe, and other countries.

Most of the people who called us at Telemundo 48 in San José were not Hispanics, but they were real Fútbol fans. Stations here in the Bay Area, affiliates of ABC, CBS, and NBC (non-Spanish speaking stations), did not report on any soccer games in the US or around the world.

In 1994, Soccer in the US didn’t rank high as a sport. But 30 years later, this international sport has grown in popularity in the United States.. During that USA ’94 World Cup, my good friend Tony López, who was Sport Anchor for Univisión CH 14 San Francisco, and yours truly at Telemundo 48, were able to interview the greatest and most famous Fútbol player ever, the great Pelé, is full name; Edson Arantes de Nascimento, a Brazilian national treasure, and basically the Babe Ruth of Fútbol.

He was traveling with Brazil as a World Ambassador of the sport. Although our stations were competitors, Tony and I have been good friends to this day, 31 years after that great event. It was an excellent experience for me to cover that World Cup.

The Bay Area (San Francisco/Palo Alto) hosted six games at Stanford Stadium during the 1994 World Cup, including group matches for Brazil, Sweden, Cameroon, Russia, Colombia, Romania, and the USA. I have a great picture with Pelé here at home that I am still trying to find and download to my computer, and I hope I can find it before the next World Cup to write about this extraordinary man, Pelé.

This 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the greatest, not only because it is one of the most significant sporting events in the world, but also because it is the only other sporting event that brings this much international interest, besides the Olympics.

It will be hosted by 16 cities, 16 in North America, 11 in the US, 3 in México, and 2 in Canada. Of all the countries in the world, the US is the one with the largest population, is diverse and rich, and is uniquely qualified for this event.

Estimates by FIFA and the United States suggest over $30 billion in economic output, creating thousands of jobs, especially from international visitors, plus the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the first with 48 teams/countries.

The last 2022 FIFA World Cup had close to 5 billion fans who watched in some form or another. Only the Olympics come close to that global viewership. These are the favorites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup; Spain, England, France and Brazil.

The US is not considered a serious contender, with odds of 80 to 1,after the recent draw which translates to a 2% chance. Fútbol/Soccer originated in England. The first official rules were drafted in 1863 by Ebenezer Cobb Morley, who is credited as the “father of soccer” when he formed the English Football Association (FA) FIFA means: Fédération Internationale de Football (French) Federación Internacional de Fútbol Asociado (Spanish) International Federation of Association Football (English) US Host Cities for the FIFA 2026 World Cup. Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco/Bay Area

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874

From the second you step in the front door, the sounds of Latin America will gently seduce your ears and continue as you relax outdoors with your favorite cocktail enjoying the view. The wonderful flavors and aromas of our cuisine will not disappoint.

We use only the finest, freshest, local ingredients in every dish and every dish is prepared to order. Enjoy live mariachi music weekly and on special occasions, catch balet folklorico dance performances among other live entertainment. Come visit us and have a great time! Enjoy fast, friendly service, fantastic food & cocktails, music and allow us to share our beautiful Mexican heritage with you.

LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant at 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874.

FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Schedule and Restrictions

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Fifa logo from Vecteezy

FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Schedule and Restrictions

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar begins Sunday, November 20, 2022,

-64 games are scheduled Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 will see 32 teams from five confederations compete for the biggest prize in football. The teams have been divided into eight groups of four (A to H) and only the top two teams will advance to the knockout stages.

-FOX Sports/Fox Deportes and Telemundo will televise for the US.

Restrictions for those in Qatar:

-No Beer or any other Alcoholic beverages allowed at the stadiums (nine of them) 6 months in prison and a fine of over $800.

-Smuggling alcohol into the country could result in arrest and a 3-year prison sentence.

-Islam is the official religion of Qatar. Criticizing Islam is subject to criminal prosecution.

-Public speech critical of Qatar government (verbally or signage) could trigger arrest.

-Homosexuality is criminalized in Qatar. LGBT not allowed to fly flags or emblems.

Fans from all over the world including the US, who are in Qatar (and all players from all countries) will have to abide by these restrictions, or face consequences.

Enjoy this great worldwide sporting event. It is unique in nature because it is the most extremely nationalistic and passionate tournament in the whole world. I had the pleasure and privilege of covering FIFA World Cup USA 1994 for Telemundo 48-Bay Area.. After the game ended goalless, Brazil beat Italy on penalties in the final for their 5th World Cup title. It was a wonderful experience and the privilege of interviewing many fútbol/soccer star-players of that time, compadres in the media from many nations as well as interviewing the all-time great Edson Arantes Do Nascimiento commonly known as Pelé, considered the World Ambassador of the Sport.

Prediction. I am looking for Brazil, to win their 6th World Cup.

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: Important win for US women’s team; Verlander says the ball is juiced 100%; plus more from the All Star Game

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On Headline Sports podcast with Barbara:

#1 How important was this win in the World Cup women’s soccer final for the U.S. team?

#2 The television ratings for the finals were through the roof with 14.3 million viewers watching the US vs. the Netherlands in a 2-0 shutout.

#3 In Major League Baseball Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander says he blames baseball for the juiced ball and that it could travel as far as it could and it hurts pitchers.

#4 Verlander at the MLB All Star Game this week said that the balls are 100% juiced and a testimony of that is Verlander whose one of the big leagues best pitchers has given up 26 home runs this season.

#5 St Louis Cardinal catcher Yadier Molina dropped a few words that can’t be used here in regards to Angels catcher Jonathan Lucroy who got hammered at the plate by Houston Astros runner Jake Marisnick who laid Lucroy out after knocking him over on a bang bang play at the plate. Molina basically said something needs to be done about runners taking out the catcher.

Barbara Mason is a writer for Spanish Newspaper Area Grande and does Headline Sports each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: World Cup 2018: Viva La France! Fox and Telemundo lost

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Photo credit: @GymClassReport

World Cup 2018: Viva LA France! Fox and Telemundo lost

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By: Amaury Pi-González

France beat a very good and inspired Croatia team who played with a lot of heart, 4-2, to win the 2018 World Cup. This is the second time that France has won a World Cup since 1998 when they shutout Brazil 3-0. France also made it to the finals in 2006, but lost to Italy. France team manager Didier Deschamps was the captain in 1998 when his team shocked Brazil in Paris, and on Sunday he became the third to ever win the World Cup as a player and coach.

The great city of Paris celebrates as French flags and chants of Champions du monde, Champions du monde, World Champs World Champs! are heard in Paris and all over the country. France has changed throughout the years, but the French people have been as nationalistic as anybody on the face of this planet for hundreds of years.

Croatia was trying for the biggest upset in World Cup Soccer history. Croatia is a Eastern European country with a population of around four million people. Croatia, trailing every knockout stage match this Cup, had to do something to try and comeback but it could not, and so went the hopes of the small nation with almost 100% of their four million people glued to their televisions.

This past week, the Wall Street Journal, Joe Flint and Suzanne Vranica authored a concise written summary of how Fox and Telemundo have lost ratings and money on the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

For example, they indicate that traditional TV ratings are down 7-10% compared to the 2014 event in Brazil, and as of July 7th, Fox’s World Cup TV ad revenue was roughly $107 million and Telemundo’s about $127 million, based on in-game ads.

Comparatively, the ad revenue from the 2014 tournament was roughly $336 million for Univisión and $187 million for Disney. Oh well, like the French would say, “C’est la vie.” In English, “That is life.” In Spanish, “Asi es la vida.”

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for the Oakland A’s and does News and Commentary each week at SportsRadioService.com.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary–World Cup 2018: Without México, television ratings suffer in the US

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nbcsports.com photo: Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio hit out at the referees after Mexico lost 2-0 to Brazil in their round of 16 clash in Samara on Monday

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

There is little doubt that when México was eliminated by Brazil’s Neymar who beat the “Tricolor” 2-0 on Monday on July 2nd, especially in the United States. Telemundo felt like a meteor falling on planet Earth. Sad for México who opened their World Cup participation with a win over the last champion, Germany. During their match against Brazil, México caused problem to Neymar’s squad very early, but at the end, the best team won. The coach for the Mexican team was totally frustrated and blamed the loss of México on the referees, which is as absurd of a statement I can remember during a World Cup.

Fox and FS1 also suffered from the very beginning of this tournament as the U.S. were not there. The 48 group stage telecast on Fox and FS1 averaged 2.069 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. This was down 42% from the 3.54 million average on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC four years ago. For U.S. audiences, that was already a bad start and now after México was eliminated, only a small portion of the real Fútbol aficionados are watching all the way to July 15th when a new champion will be crowned.

During the 1994 USA World Cup, Edson Arantes do Nascimiento, better known as Pelé, told me during an exclusive interview I did with him for Telemundo Network, “El fútbol será grande aqui en los Estados Unidos de America y será un gran deporte, seguido por todo el público una vez tengan una selección dentro de la Copa Mundial, que pueda luchar y llegar lejos.”

Translation: “Fútbol here in the United States of America will be a great sport and followed by the people once the U.S. had a good team inside the World Cup and a good team that can go far.”

From the very beginning, this 2018 Russia World Cup was a disadvantage to the television networks carrying this event here in the U.S. At the end, it proved to be a double whammy for a lack of audience. First, no U.S. representation, then on July 2nd, México was eliminated. Mexican-born residents are by far the largest audience on Spanish television here in the U.S. and the elimination of México was the biggest story for the ratings this year on Telemundo, who also owns the rights to Copa America.

Telemundo Deportes has acquired U.S. Spanish language rights for next year’s Copa America in Brazil. The Copa America 2019 is about the championship of South America, and will include invited guests Japan and Qatar and will be played from June 14th to July 7th. This year’s World Cup was the first time that Telemundo had the rights to all its games. Univisión usually dominated that production in the past. Telemundo is part of Comcast’s Corporation/NBC Universal Incorporated.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s play-by-play Spanish radio talent and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: FIFA has positive impact on Russian economy; A’s in San Diego to open two-game series tonight

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photo from fifa.com: The Brazilians exult after scoring on Switzerland during the FIFA match in Moscow Russia during 2018 World Cup

On the podcast with Amaury:

What has it meant for the economy in Russia to have this year’s World Cup and how will it impact the Mexican, U.S., and Canadian economy for 2026. FIFA gains more interest than any other sport when the event comes up once every four years. Even non-soccer fans turn to it.

A’s open two game series in San Diego: The San Diego Padres the A’s next opponent have a similar business model to the Oakland A’s. Padres general manager AJ Preller no longer employs expensive free agents. The Padres use their farm system more, use younger players and use a few veterans.

The A’s are at .500 the 13th time this season. The A’s also will be missing Matt Chapman and Matt Joyce both on the ten day D.L. The A’s will start Paul Blackburn tonight. In his last start Blackburn got lit up by the Houston Astros at the Oakland Coliseum going 1 1/3 innings and giving up eight runs.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio talent for the Oakland A’s, the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum, does a music show on KIQI radio, and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Trump’s travel bans concern some FIFA countries as U.S. is awarded 2026 games; Mack still no show at practices will hold out

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, welcomes representatives of the united bid — from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico — as soccer’s governing body selects its host for the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, Russia.

SERGEI KARPUKHIN / REUTERS

On the Headline Sports podcast with Tony:

The 2026 World Cup soccer questions were raised during negotiations about bringing the games to the U.S. One concern that was raised was U.S. President Trump’s travel bans and travel restrictions.

Players from various countries are concerned if they’ll be able to travel to the U.S. to play in the 2026 World Cup. There are seven banned countries not permitted to have their citizens to enter the U.S.: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Soccer players from those countries could be left out and it could cause an imbalance during World Cup competition.

The U.S., Mexico and Canada are in unison in bringing the World Cup to North America. In Canada the World Cup will visit Montreal and Toronto but Vancouver had been left off the games list but as Vancouver officials said the event is eight years down the road and anything could change between now and then.

Oakland Raiders Khalil Mack continues to be hold out. Mack missed two mandatory practices on Tuesday and Wednesday. If he misses another practice, he will be facing a large fine if he doesn’t show up for Thursday.

Mack in the final year of his $13.8 million contract under a fifth year option. If Mack continues his hold out and misses all three mandated days for workouts, he’s looking at a $84,435 fine. Head coach Jon Gruden says that one of the main reasons he took the job in Oakland was because he was looking forward to working with Mack.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com