ESPN confirms bid interest for 2030 World Cup broadcast rights

ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro confirmed Thursday at a CNBC-hosted conference at Fanatics Fest in New York that the Disney-owned network will bid on 2030 World Cup broadcast rights. "We had the World Cup for two decades and it was a big part of ESPN's identity and DNA," Pitaro said. ESPN lost the rights to the 2026 tournament to Fox and Telemundo.