FOX Deportes Marks 30 Years of Spanish-Language Sports Storytelling with the 2026 World Baseball Classic
FOX Deportes Marks 30 Years of Spanish-Language Sports Storytelling with the 2026 World Baseball Classic
The network launches a year-long anniversary celebration with comprehensive coverage of baseball’s premier international tournament.
LOS ANGELES (February 2, 2026) — With baseball as one of the historic pillars of its identity, FOX Deportes launches the commemoration of its 30th anniversary by placing the spotlight on the World Baseball Classic (WBC), one of the most important international tournaments in global sports and an event that transforms baseball into a meeting point for countries, generations, and cultures.
Since its launch in 1996, FOX Deportes has accompanied generations of fans across the United States with Spanish-language sports storytelling that understands the rhythm, passion, and cultural context of the Hispanic community. This global perspective is reflected in the World Baseball Classic, a tournament that brings together the best players in the world representing their countries of origin while celebrating baseball’s cultural impact on an international scale.
The World Baseball Classic is an international tournament that pits national teams from different regions of the world against one another and has solidified its position as one of the most relevant competitions in modern baseball. The 2026 edition features rosters that blend established superstars, national heroes, and narratives of cultural pride. Players such as Shohei Ohtani (Japan), Aaron Judge (United States), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Venezuela), Randy Arozarena (Mexico), and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Japan) have confirmed their participation in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, heightening anticipation among fans.
The start of this anniversary celebration coincides with the kickoff of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which will begin on March 4 at the Tokyo Dome with the opening matchup between Chinese Taipei and Australia. The tournament will take place from March 4–17, with host cities including Tokyo, San Juan, Houston, and Miami. FOX Deportes will broadcast 28 live games from the tournament, including the final from Miami on March 17, delivering comprehensive coverage that extends beyond the field by incorporating voices from sports, entertainment, and culture to explore baseball’s impact on the contemporary Latino experience.
The impact of the World Baseball Classic is significant. The 2023 edition set viewership records, with the final between Japan and the United States, aired across all FOX platforms, including FOX Deportes, drawing an average audience of more than 5.2 million viewers and underscoring the tournament’s growing popularity and its ability to generate widespread conversation.
As part of the launch of its 30th anniversary celebration, FOX Deportes will feature a talent lineup that reflects the evolution of baseball and Spanish-language sports storytelling over the past three decades. Coverage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic will be led by play-by-play announcers Adrián García-Márquez, Carlos Álvarez, and Ronaldo Nichols, alongside analysts
Edgar González and Jaime Motta. García-Márquez and Álvarez, two of the most iconic voices of FOX Deportes, will anchor the tournament coverage, while González brings his experience as a former Major League Baseball player and a historic figure in Mexican baseball, having represented Mexico in the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classics and managed the national team in the 2017 edition.
This anniversary celebration will unfold throughout the year, highlighting key moments in FOX Deportes’ history and its role in the evolution of Spanish-language sports storytelling. Over three decades, FOX Deportes has accompanied Hispanic audiences through some of the most iconic moments in international sports, including baseball and soccer tournaments and major global events that have shaped generations of sports passion in the United States. Baseball, one of the sports with the deepest roots among Latino audiences, holds a central place in this commemoration, reaffirming the enduring connection between the game and the culture that surrounds it.
Thirty years after its launch, FOX Deportes celebrates its legacy while looking ahead, reaffirming its commitment to continue delivering the world’s most important sporting events through a lens that reflects the diversity, passion, and stories of the Latino community.
About FOX Deportes
Launched in 1996, FOX Deportes, a division of FOX Sports, is the first and longest-running Spanish-language sports network in the United States. FOX Deportes has been the nation’s leading supplier of Spanish-language sports programming for over 25 years. FOX Deportes features a diversified portfolio of properties, and boasts more than 2,100 hours of exclusive, live programming including Liga MX, the Mexican National Team in English, Serie A, The Coupe de France, MLS, Saudi Pro League, Liga Nacional de Honduras, Copa Do Brasil, NFL, NFC Championship, MLB regular-season, All-Star Game, Divisional Series, National League Championship Series and World Series, The World Baseball Classic, NASCAR, MotoGP, INDYCAR, UFL and college football.
Original programs include TOTAL SPORTS 360, PUNTO FINAL, BOLETO A NORTEAMERICA and GOL X GOL AMERICA. FOX Deportes Digital reaches nearly 20 million visitors monthly and provides a robust digital experience brimming with engaging editorial, live scoring and exclusive video highlights on FOXDeportes.com.
