It’s official! ESPN has announced Futbol W, a new one-hour news, highlights, and opinion program about the women’s game hosted by Ali Krieger, accomplished soccer star, and Sebastian Salazar. It promises to “focus on the NWSL, the U.S. Women’s National Team, Liga MX Femenil, and CONCACAF stars playing in Europe.” Futbol W will also go beyond the field to “explore the players’ interests through features highlighting the intersections of culture, fashion, food, and community in the sport.”
The show premieres on Tuesday, July 23, at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and simulcasts on ESPN+. Futbol W will stream weekly live episodes on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and be available on-demand afterward.
Ali Krieger, whose decorated 18-year career spanned the United States, Germany, and Sweden, brings unmatched experience to Futbol W. Krieger joined ESPN in March after announcing her retirement from professional football during last year’s NWSL preseason. Krieger ended her time with NJ/NY Gotham FC by winning the NWSL Championship in November 2023. Krieger will co-host Futbol W with Sebastian Salazar, who joined ESPN in 2016 as a host, reporter, and play-by-play announcer.
Krieger celebrated the news on X by writing, “I cannot wait to get started! I am so pumped for this opportunity.. especially co-hosting alongside the incredibly knowledgeable @SebiSalazarFUT💪🏽🫶🏽 LFG!” Salazar also joined in on the excitement on X, writing, “Can’t wait for #FutbolW to begin July 23. A proper home for all things WoSo on ESPN.”
The current planned highlights for Futbol W include the following:
- A weekly destination show offering U.S. fans “need-to-know” women’s soccer in the U.S., Mexico, and CONCACAF players in Europe;
- Appearances by ESPN reporters, commentators, and analysts: Lianne Sanderson, Jeff Kassouf, Jenn Hildreth, Cristina Alexander, Natalia Astrain, Lizzy Becherano, Alexis Nunes, Julia Headley, and more;
- In-depth interviews and features on current and former players conducted by Ali Krieger. The features will offer fans an inside look at the sports stars beyond the playing field;
- NWSL game highlights, analysis, Power Rankings, Top Plays, and game previews;
- Insightful analysis and opinion-based discussion of topical issues in women’s soccer featuring a rotation of seasoned pundits with diverse perspectives;
- Live, in-show interviews with current players.
“We are pleased to launch Futbol W amid the popularity and excitement around women’s sports, which is at an all-time high in the United States. Futbol W will inform, entertain, and showcase the incredible athletes to sports fans. It will be our signature news and analysis studio program – a weekly one-stop destination for fans to get their need-to-know insight about women’s soccer,” Manny de la Fe, Vice President of Production, ESPN, said.
ESPN cites Fubtol W as a reflection of the company’s strategic investment in women’s sports. While that statement bodes well for its future investment in women’s soccer, it’s also quite ironic, considering this show is the first of its kind on ESPN. The U.S. Women’s National Team won their first World Cup in 1991. Futbol W’s co-host Ali Krieger has won the World Cup twice with the USWNT – once in 2015 and again in 2019.
Still, it would take over three decades for ESPN, a company that has intensively covered the far-less decorated U.S. Men’s National Team and the men’s game worldwide, to introduce a show solely about women’s soccer. Hopefully, Futbol W is one of many steps ESPN plans to take to adequately cover the ever-growing interest in and support for the women’s game worldwide.
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Fubtol W premieres on Tuesday, July 23, at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
