Twenty years ago, Fernando Fiore was best-known as the co-host of the weekly Univision travel program Fuera de Serie, alongside a Colombian runway model named Sofia Vergara.
Today, Fiore, now a sportscaster, hopes to follow Vergara’s crossover lead, thanks to a new multiyear deal with Fox Sports.
Starting Feb. 10, Fiore — who hosted Univision’s weekly sports show República Deportiva for 16 years — will serve as a co-host and general contributor for the English-language sports network’s diverse slate of soccer programming.
Fiore’s hiring at Fox Sports was widely expected. He’d been given an audition of sorts when Fox Deportes hired him as a contributor to a 90-minute pregame show ahead of October’s U.S.-Mexico soccer match and on Fox Deportes’s Fox Deportes en Vivo.
Fiore’s new deal with Fox Sports will put him behind the microphone for the 2016 Copa America Centenario, a highly anticipated tournament involving men’s national soccer from throughout the Americas. The June 3-26 event, marking 100 years of the tournament, is the first Copa America to be held in the U.S.
Fiore will also appear on Mexico national team telecasts during the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, and throughout Fox Sports’s coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
“Fernando Fiore is one of the superstars of Spanish-language broadcasting in the U.S., and we are delighted to welcome him to the FOX Sports family,” David Neal, executive producer of the FIFA World Cup on Fox, said. “Fernando's vast experience and unique perspective will be valuable additions to our coverage of the Road to Russia and the 2018 FIFA World Cup."
In prepared comments, Fiore noted that he was honored to bring his experience and Latin flavor to Fox Sports. “The wonderful thing about sports is that there is no language barrier,” he said. “Whether the fans watch fútbol or soccer, we’ll be presenting coverage of the biggest world-class soccer events. After all, the passion for soccer and the sound of a ¡GOOOOOL! need no translation."
In addition to his years in sports at Univision, Fiore is also an author. His first book, The World Cup: The Ultimate Guide to the Greatest Sports Spectacle in the World, was released in 2006.
