FIFA WORLD CUP 26™: ONE YEAR TO GO Show Live on FOX Friday, June 13 From South Beach Features Musical Performances

FIFA World Cup 26™ One Year to Go Announcement Tease Debuts Today (WATCH HERE)

Soccer Legends Serve Free Ice Cream from FIFA, FOX Sports Branded Trucks in New York City and Los Angeles

Countdown Creative Takes Over New York’s Times Square ‘Godzilla’ Screen

Special Episode of ‘Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union’ Podcast

SCORES Network, FOX Sports Team to Support Youth Development Through Soccer

FOX Sports Teams with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles for Festivities

LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports, America’s English-language home of the FIFA World Cup 26™, today celebrates the milestone one-year-to-go mark until the tournament’s awaited start next summer across North America with company-wide initiatives and coast-to-coast fun in honor of the special day.

“We couldn’t be more excited for FOX Sports to present the single biggest sporting event in history taking place in our own backyard next summer with the FIFA World Cup 26™,” said FOX Sports CEO and Executive Producer, Eric Shanks. “With one year to go, this will be our largest production ever on a massive scale and we look forward to showcasing the greatest teams in soccer and all of their captivating storylines with this highly anticipated global tournament.”

To celebrate the countdown to the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 26™, which kicks off on Thursday, June 11, 2026, FOX Sports is activating around the world’s greatest sporting event in anticipation of the year ahead.

FOX Sports’ FIFA World Cup 26 One Year to Go highlights:

FIFA WORLD CUP 26™: ONE YEAR TO GO Special on FOX

FOX Sports broadcasters Charissa Thompson, Alexi Lalas, Stu Holden and Tom Rinaldi host a star-studded soccer celebration live from Miami’s famed South Beach on Friday, June 13. Coverage begins Friday in primetime at 8:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM PT on FOX.

Show highlights include interviews with FIFA dignitaries, an exclusive interview with Rinaldi and USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino, musical performances and much more.

FIRST THINGS FIRST on FS1 with Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes will originate live from South Beach earlier in the day starting at 3:00 PM ET.

On-Air Takeover

FOX Sports introduces an all-new FIFA World Cup 26™ one year to go announcement promo today that will air across FOX Sports networks, FOX affiliates, FOX Sports’ digital and social platforms, FOX News and FOX broadcast (WATCH HERE). Viewers will also see a special FIFA World Cup 26™ bug appearing on-screen throughout the day on FOX Sports networks.

Additionally, FOX Sports will roll out FIFA World Cup 26™ one year to go creative on New York’s Times Square Godzilla Board. Located between 45^th and 46^th Streets in Manhattan, it is considered the largest and most impactful digital screen in the world with the Godzilla screen reaching a top height of 43 feet tall.

Ice Cream Trucks in New York City and Los Angeles

Soccer fans in New York City will want to keep an eye out for the FOX Sports, FIFA World Cup branded ice cream truck parked at the FOX Square (48^th and 6^th) that will feature free ice cream, while supplies last, served by FOX Sports analysts and National Soccer Hall of Famers Alexi Lalas and Carli Lloyd starting at 11 AM ET.

In Los Angeles, soccer fans are in for a treat as FOX Sports broadcasters Stu Holden, Rob Stone and John Strong serve free ice cream, while supplies last, from the FOX Sports, FIFA World CupÔ branded ice cream truck scheduled to appear at the iconic Venice Beach Boardwalk (at Windward Ave) from 2:30 PM – 6:00 PM PT.

Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union Podcast

National Soccer Hall of Famer and FOX Sports’ lead soccer studio analyst Alexi Lalas debuts a special episode of his popular podcast “State of the Union” featuring Rob Stone.

SCORES NETWORK

FOX Sports is teaming up with non-profit partner SCORES Network and its chapters in Los Angeles and New York City to advance the organizations’ efforts to support whole child development through the teamwork of soccer, the creativity of poetry and the compassion of service-learning. Employees in Los Angeles and New York will participate in the organizations’ annual corporate soccer tournament, SCORES Cup, fundraising to make a lasting impact for the soccer-based youth development programming.

Youth from New York SCORES joined Alexi Lalas and Carli Lloyd on FOX & Friends between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM ET, celebrating the power of soccer for positive social change and the celebration of being one year out from the FIFA World Cup.

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF METRO LOS ANGELES

In Los Angeles, FOX Sports is teaming with Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles to include youth from across the region to participate in the milestone festivities alongside Stu Holden, John Strong and Rob Stone. Through the organization’s Sports and Recreation program, Club kids participate in a variety of activities developing physical fitness, coordination and sportsmanship.

About FIFA World Cup 26

From Thursday, June 11, 2026 to Sunday, July 19, 2026, FOX Sports presents the biggest ever edition of the world’s great sporting event with 48 teams and 104 matches being played across North America in the FIFA World Cup 26™.

VILNIUS (Lithuania) – As emphasized by FIBA’s Strategic Objective to Develop Youth Basketball, a series of innovative programs are continuing to provide the young players with precious international experience.

Through the collaboration of FIBA’s Regional Offices in Europe and the Americas, a new event took place in June 2025, as FIBA Next Gen Hoops Invitational saw Rytas Vilnius take on The Grind Session select team in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Rytas Vilnius hosted the event as two-time Youth Basketball Champions League winners, including most recently, in Manisa, Türkiye in April 2025.

That was the third edition of the Youth BCL, with the level of competition growing with each passing year, and some of the players from the first two seasons already getting a taste of action on senior level, in the Basketball Champions League in Europe.

The Grind Session select team was put together with some of the most intriguing prospects from the United States, high school players who spent the season playing The Grind Session circuit, the first-ever winter circuit for elite high school players in the Americas, with nearly 3,000 participants.

The Grind Session is one of the most prestigious programs in the Americas. The list of alumni includes the current NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and global stars such as Jayson Tatum, Jamal Murray, Paolo Banchero and LaMelo Ball.

Getting Rytas Vilnius and the Grind Session on the same court was in line with FIBA’s significant contributions to supporting and organizing youth club competitions, which provide a competitive environment for young players outside of national teams. The aforementioned Youth BCL, which Rytas Vilnius had won in April, is a perfect example of such competition.

At the same time, FIBA’s Youth Development Program in the Americas has a goal to nurture young talent and expand access to basketball across the region, which led to a partnership with the Grind Session circuit.

With those two incentives combined, the birth of the FIBA Next Gen Hoops Invitational seemed like a logical step in the right direction.

Across two games in Lithuania played on June 4 and June 5, Rytas Vilnius picked up a pair of wins over The Grind Session (107-84; 103-83), adding more silverware to their cabinets dedicated to youth basketball. For more information, click here.

With positive feedback from the players, coaches, and staff members, the first edition of the FIBA Next Gen Hoops Invitational was a successful one, providing motivation to make this an annual event.

FIBA

RATHDRUM — An indoor sports complex will be a game changer for Lakeland High School.

With a $200,000 gift from Silverwood Theme Park, fundraising for the $850,000 fieldhouse project has approached the halfway point. Ground is expected to be broken next spring.

“I would just like to say thanks to Silverwood Theme Park,” Lakeland High Principal Jimmy Hoffman said Wednesday during a brief presentation at the school, “so much gratitude to donating this amount of money to help us get started on our project that we’ve been thinking about a lot.”

The fieldhouse, expected to be 15,000-20,000 square feet, would support Lakeland’s extracurricular activities as well as youth sports in the community, Hoffman said. It will be built adjacent to Corbit Field.

Paul Norton, Silverwood’s chief operating officer, said the theme park and Lakeland are partners.

“It was awesome to get the opportunity, when they reached out to see if there was something we could do,” Norton said. “It was a no-brainer to jump right in and help out this community. We’re not an island; we need each other’s support.”

He said with the area growing so much, kids need something to do. 

“I’d rather have them do more athletic stuff than a bunch of stuff they’re not going to be proud of later in life,” Norton said.

Hoffman said the facility will be available for use by students as well as youth sports teams and feeder clubs. Lakeland is a big youth sports community, Hoffman said, from Junior Tackle Football to wrestling and basketball, starting as young as third grade.

“Our entire community is going to benefit from this,” Hoffman said. “Our facilities are being crammed until 10 o’clock at night here in our gyms. We just need more space.”

The complex will feature an open field turf area, a full-size court and hitting facilities. It will be able to accommodate basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, golf, wrestling and more. The all-purpose facility will also provide a space for tournaments and social events such as banquets and award ceremonies. It will provide covered indoor space during cold, snowy winters and hot, smoky summer days, as well.

“It’s just a big, big wide-open multi-use facility,” Hoffman said.

Superintendent Lisa Arnold said the charm and the specialness of the Lakeland School District is rooted in community support.

“The man hours that have been put in by the Lakeland High School administrative team and the generous outpouring of support for a project like this will allow families to engage in different ways and provide a space for our kids to hone their skills and be healthy people,” she said.

    A rendering of the future fieldhouse at Lakeland High School.
  

ELKINS — After 37 years with the agency, Executive Co-Director Peggy Johnson will be retiring from Youth Health Service, Inc. on June 30, and her successor, Sarah Begg, will join the established leadership team, consisting of Executive Co-Director, Tammie Rizzio, and Director of Business Operations, Amanda Arbogast, to lead the agency.

While Johnson has spent the last 10 years serving in the role of executive co-director, her contributions to the agency in its tenure are varied. During the formative years of the agency, she served as a case manager providing maternity and parenting support and education for young women and their families.

As the community needs shifted, Johnson moved into an Early Intervention role working with little ones and their families aimed at increasing opportunities and reducing barriers to learning and developmental growth.

By the mid-90’s, the agency transitioned to providing behavioral health programs for kids of all ages, allowing her to further her specialization in early childhood, providing individual play therapy as well as group and family therapies and coordinating early childhood programming, which included the addition of Home Ties Child Development Center.

Johnson has served as the Project Director for several grant programs around early learning opportunities in participating in childcare programs in the area and the development of the child and adolescent trauma center which led to YHS being an affiliate of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

When asked about memorable moments and hopes for the agency moving forward, Johnson said, “The memories that stand out the most involve the people I have been blessed to know here – the amazing leaders who hired me all those years ago and not only mentored but befriended me as well; the dedicated co-workers past and present, so many who have become life-long friends; those caring professionals throughout our communities who supported the mission of YHS and the children we serve; the volunteers who donated their time, talent, and energy to help us; and the faces, the voices, the stories of the children and caregivers who have passed through this way.

“As I am wrapping up my last days as co-director, I am filled with gratitude for the experiences of the past and tremendous hope and confidence for the future of Youth Health Service and the important work being done here.”

Johnson will certainly be missed by her YHS family, community partners and clients; her contributions to the agency and the community at large have been forever impactful and the field of early childhood education and development, and behavioral health are better in our community because of her influences.

Begg will assume her new role on July 1 and brings with her 14 years of experience in the field. After receiving her BSW from Concord University, she went on to receive her MSW while also working for the WVDHHR CPS before transitioning to Southern Highlands Community Health Center as a Therapist. In 2015 she continued her work as a Therapist at Youth Health Service before transitioning to a School Social Worker in Randolph County Schools and back to YHS in 2022.

Begg has long had a passion for helping others that led her to social work. When asked what she would like to achieve in her new role, Begg stated, “I aim to continue the legacy YHS has of helping children and families through new and innovative processes, growing behavioral health to meet the ever increasing and changing needs of the communities we serve, and support and empower the qualified, compassionate, and wonderful staff at YHS.”

The community may express their well wishes and congratulations to both Johnson and Begg by sending cards to Youth Health Service ATTN: Ms. Johnson/Ms. Begg 971 Harrison Ave. Elkins, WV 26241.

Community

Matt Nelson, center, chairman of the Crawfordsville Friends of the NRA presented donations to Lori Roe, left, from the Montgomery County 4-H program, and Eric Small, right, of the Crawfordsville Gun Club. Roe received $5,100 for youth shooting sports and Small received $7,000 for youth training and shooting sports.

Photo Provided

Posted

Thursday,
June 12, 2025
5:00 am