Mike Tirico and Bob Ley, two of the industry's most respected voices, will again serve as hosts of ESPN's FIFA WORLD Cup coverage. Veterans of the company's award-winning presentation four years ago in South Africa, Tirico, Ley will be joined by UK-based sports presenter Lynsey Hipgrave of BT Sport as hosts of ESPN's English-language studio coverage during FIFA WORLD Cup Brazil, June 12-July 13.
The trio will anchor ESPN studio shows - SportsCenter, WORLD Cup Tonight, pre-match, halftime and post-match shows, and other FIFA WORLD Cup-related news and information programs - throughout the month-long tournament from ESPN's production headquarters at Rio de Janeiro's Clube dos Marimbás, a popular members-only boating club on the southern tip of Copacabana Beach.
Hipgrave, who joined London-based BT Sport as a studio host in August 2013, will make her ESPN debut during the WORLD Cup, having covered the Premier League and other top-flight football in Europe for the London-based sports network, and the UEFA Champions League for Al Jazeera Sport.
"We are thrilled to have Mike and Bob anchor our FIFA WORLD Cup coverage once again. They were a key part of our success in South Africa, and we expect much the same from them in Brazil. Lynsey is a proven soccer host, coming from BT Sport in the UK. Her knowledge of soccer is at the highest level, as are her skills as a host. She's very smart, engaging and dynamic - a perfect addition to our team," said Jed Drake, ESPN Senior Vice President and Executive Producer.
"As good a commentator team as we had in 2010, the group we have assembled for 2014 is even better - more diverse and more opinionated. And they will work tremendously together, one team from 12 different countries."
Tirico, Ley and Hipgrave will work with ESPN's 11-member analyst team that features a global roster of international football experts. Collectively, the analysts have been on 15 WORLD Cup rosters and played in 43 matches: Steve McManaman, Stewart Robson (England); Alexi Lalas, Taylor Twellman, Kasey Keller (USA); Michael Ballack (Germany); Efan Ekoku (Nigeria); Alejandro Moreno (Venezuela); Gilberto Silva (Brazil); Santiago Solari (Argentina); and Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands).
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