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RTÉ Sport Launches 2018 FIFA World Cup Coverage

Live coverage of all 64 games across RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and RTÉ News Now

Over 160 hours of live coverage plus preview and highlights shows

Après Match are back celebrating 20 years of their unique take on the World Cup

New panellists Hope Solo, Keith Andrews, Shay Given, Richard Dunne and Michael O’Neill

RTÉ Sport today (Wednesday 6 June) announced details of its 2018 FIFA World Cup coverage across television, radio, online and mobile. RTÉ will provide live coverage of all 64 games across RTÉ2, RTÉ News Now and RTÉ Player. Over 180 hours of television coverage will be broadcast on RTÉ2 including 56 live games from Russia with eight end-of-group games streamed live on RTÉ Player and RTÉ News Now. Fans will also be kept up to date with the latest news and updates from Russia with live bulletins throughout the day on RTÉ Radio 1 and RTÉ 2fm and RTÉ Soccer Correspondent Tony O’Donoghue will have previews, news and all the big stories as they develop.

At a launch in RTÉ’s Studio 4 details of the team of panellists, presenters and commentators were announced to the media. Darragh Maloney, Jacqui Hurley and Peter Collins will present the live coverage alongside panellists Eamon Dunphy, Liam Brady, Damien Duff, Didi Hamann, Richie Sadlier, Keith Andrews, Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Michael O’Neill, Keith Andrews and USA Women’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Hope Solo.

RTÉ Sport’s commentary team of George Hamilton, Ger Canning, Adrian Eames, John Kenny, Hugh Cahill and Stephen Alkin will be joined by co-commentators Ronnie Whelan, Ray Houghton, Jim Beglin and Brian Kerr.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup on RTÉ will see the return to our screens of Après Match celebrating 20 years of their own unique brand of punditry and analysis and, as well as appearing throughout the tournament, the comedy trio will present the play-off for third place on Saturday 14 July.

The dedicated RTÉ World Cup 2018 website and the News Now app will be the perfect online accompaniment to our World Cup coverage, with live blogs of every game, up-to-date match reports, reaction, fixtures, results & statistics, plus the best of the RTÉ punditry and analysis. You can catch up on the goals and match highlights you miss via RTÉ Sport Facebook and RTÉ Soccer Twitter, while you will be able to find the Apres Match lads on RTÉ.ie and the News Now App every night.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/world-cup-2018/

RTÉ Player and RTÉ Sport are producing a special preview show The Sport Show: Countdown to Russia, as Johnny Ward and a panel of special guests preview the action. Once things kick off you can watch all 64 matches from the competition on RTÉ Player and if you’ve missed a match then catch up with match highlights, extended interviews, full games and the best of RTÉ’s panel analysis. And if that’s not enough, the FIFA World Cup collection also features clips celebrating 20 years of Après Match, analysis of 16 of the greatest goals from the FIFA World Cup archive, and the National Treasures team take a closer look at Ireland’s obsession with football memorabilia and fan culture.

Group Head of RTÉ Sport, Declan McBennett, said: “RTÉ is delighted to bring Irish audiences all of the action from Russia with every single match of the tournament across RTÉ 2, RTÉ Player and RTÉ News Now. I’m delighted to also welcome our new signings Hope Solo, Shay Given and Keith Andrews to what I believe are the best team of analysts and commentators in the business. RTÉ will be operating on all fronts to make sure the audience won’t miss a kick of the game and have all of the latest news and developments from Russia across RTÉ Radio 1 and our dedicated Word Cup site”

 

Contact:

Fergus McCormack, Press Officer, RTÉ Television, Fergus.mccormack@rte.ie, 086 8674751

Sharon Brady, Senior Communications Manager, TV & Digital, RTÉ sharon.brady@rte.ie

Note to Editors –

Launch photography from Donall Farmer has been sent to picture desks-

Hope Solo Biography courtesy US Soccer:

Name: Hope Solo

Sport: Soccer

Discipline(s): Soccer

Position: Goalkeeper

Height: 5-9

Weight: 148

DOB: 7/30/1981

Birthplace: Richland, Wash.

Hometown: Richland, Wash.

High School: Richland High School (Richland, Wash.) ‘99

College: University of Washington ‘03, Communications

Team/Club: Seattle Reign FC

Olympic Experience

  • Three-time Olympian (2008, 2012, 2016); Two-time Olympic medalist (2 golds)
  • Rio 2016 Olympic Games, 5th
  • London 2012 Olympic Games, gold
  • Beijing 2008 Olympic games, gold
  • Athens 2004 Olympic Games, alternateWorld Championship Experience
  • Most recent: 2015 – gold
  • Years of participation: 2007, 2011, 2015
  • Medals: 3 (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
  • Gold – 2015
  • Silver – 2011
  • Bronze – 2007
  • Selected to the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup All-Star Team
  • Two-time FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Award winner (2011, 2015)
  • Won the Bronze Ball as the third-best player of the 2011 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first goalkeeper to accomplish the feat.Personal: Daughter of Jeffrey Solo and Judy Burnett…Has two brothers, David and Marcus, and one sister, Teresa…In 2012, married Jerramy Stevens, a retired NFL tight end and fellow University of Washington alum…Started in goal at every age level of the U.S. national team programs and owns every major U.S. goalkeeping record…Is the most-capped and winningest goalkeeper in women’s soccer history…Did not enjoy playing goalkeeper as a child, but learned to love the position while playing college…Travelled to Thailand in November 2015 to serve as a mentor at the One Young World Summit, a gathering of some of the brightest young people from around the world, to empower them to make lasting connections and create positive change…Is a strong voice for women’s equality and participates on panels to empower women worldwide to pursue equal rights across all segments of society…Authored a best-selling autobiography in 2012 titled, “Solo: A Memoir of Hope”…Following the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine’s body issues…Appeared as a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” advancing to the final four…Served with Team Up and Grassroots Soccer at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa…Interests include playing beach volleyball, snowboarding, boating, reading and travelling.