ESPN has announced that it will be launching Futbol W, a new weekly studio program that will provide comprehensive and insightful coverage of women’s soccer. The program will focus on a variety of soccer leagues and entities, including the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the U.S. Women’s National Team and Liga MX Femenil, along with CONCACAF stars who are playing in Europe. Outside of the game itself, the program will also look at the interests of the players in culture, fashion, food, and community surrounding soccer.
Ali Krieger and Sebastian Salazar will serve as the co-hosts of the program and bring their knowledge, opinions, and perspectives to the airwaves each week. Krieger played soccer for 18 years at the professional level and is a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion with the U.S. Women’s National Team. Additionally, she won the NWSL championship as a member of NJ/NY Gotham FC last season and joined ESPN this past March.
Salazar has been a member of ESPN since 2016 working as a host, reporter, and play-by-play announcer. He started working with Herculez Gomez on the biweekly Fútbol Americas show three years ago, through which they have streamed daily live remote shows from the last two FIFA World Cup competitions from Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. Salazar also appears on ESPN FC and other network soccer coverage across ESPN platforms as well.
The new Futbol W show will make its debut on ESPN2 on Tuesday, July 23 starting at 9:30 p.m. EST and will be simulcast on ESPN+. Weekly episodes of Futbol W will be available to stream on ESPN+ on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and will then be available on demand afterwards. The program is a reflection of the network’s continued investment in Women’s Sports and will provide fans a new way to acclimatize and engage with the sport.
“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,” Manny de la Fe, vice president of production at ESPN, said in a statement. “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.”
Several different elements of the show have been planned in advance of the launch of the new weekly program, including appearances from ESPN reporters, commentators, and analysts. The show will also contain in-depth interviews and features on both current and former players created by co-host Ali Krieger. NWSL game highlights and analysis, along with power rankings and game previews, will also encompass the show, along with discussion regarding topical issues in women’s soccer and live show interviews with active players.
