- 35 Matches in one week across all ESPN Networks
- Historic International Friendly, Cuba vs. United States, on Friday, October 7 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2
ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3 will combine to televise 35 matches during the second FIFA International Match Week of the 2016-2017 soccer calendar year (Thursday, Oct. 6, through Tuesday, Oct. 11). Thirty-two of the 35 matches will feature 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches from two FIFA confederations: Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
In addition, ESPN will present exclusive English-language coverage of the match between the U.S. National Team and Cuba – the first international friendly match between the two countries since 1947. The historic match, live on Friday, Oct. 7 at 4 p.m. on ESPN2, will be at Estadio Pedro Marrero in Havana, Cuba. Later in the week, the U.S. team returns to the iconic RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 11 to face New Zealand. Ian Darke, ESPN’s lead soccer voice, and analyst Taylor Twellman, will handle commentary for both matches.
Highlights of the FIFA International Match Week across all ESPN platforms:
- Darke and Twellman will call the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match between Republic of Ireland and Georgia, on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 2:45 p.m. on ESPN2.
- ESPN Deportes’ play by play commentators Fernando Palomo, Richard Mendez and Roberto Sierra will lead Spanish-language coverage of the qualifiers alongside analysts Tato Noriega, Barak Fever and Alex Pareja.
- On Friday, Oct. 7, three-time FIFA Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo returns to lead UEFA EURO 2016 champion Portugal vs. Andorra, live on ESPN Deportes and ESPN3 at 2:45pm.
- At the same time, UEFA EURO 2016 finalist France, led by Paul Pogba, will also take on Bulgaria on ESPN3.
- On Sunday, Oct. 9, at 2:45 p.m. on ESPN Jon Champion (play-by-play) and analyst Craig Burley will provide English-language commentary for the Iceland vs. Turkey match. Last summer, Iceland delivered one the best stories at the UEFA European Football Championship 2016 – becoming the smallest nation to ever qualify for a major soccer tournament. The team also rode a wave of support and exceptional play to reach the quarterfinal stage in the tournament.
Schedule (All matches live on WatchESPN):
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Network(s) | |
| Thu, Oct 6 | 6:35 a.m. | Japan vs. Iraq (Asian WCQ) | ESPN3 | |
| 7:35 a.m. | China vs. Syria (Asian WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 1:45 p.m. | Saudi Arabia vs. Australia (Asian WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Republic of Ireland vs. Georgia (European WCQ) | ESPN2 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Moldova vs. Serbia (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Liechtenstein vs. Albania (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Iceland vs. Finland (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Turkey vs. Ukraine (European WCQ) | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 | ||
| Fri, Oct 7 | 2:45 p.m. | France vs. Bulgaria (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | |
| 2:45 p.m. | Hungary vs. Switzerland (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Portugal vs. Andorra (European WCQ) | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 | ||
| 4:00 p.m. | Cuba vs. United States (Friendly) | ESPN2 | ||
| Sat, Oct 8 | 12:00 p.m. | England vs. Malta (European WCQ) | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Montenegro vs. Kazakhstan (European WCQ) | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Northern Ireland vs. San Marino (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Poland vs. Denmark (European WCQ) | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Slovenia vs. Slovakia (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| Sun, Oct 9 | 9:00 a.m. | Russia vs. Costa Rica (Friendly) | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Israel vs. Liechtenstein (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 12:00 p.m. | Finland vs. Croatia (European WCQ) | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Iceland vs. Turkey (European WCQ) | ESPN, ESPN Deportes | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Moldova vs. Republic of Ireland (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Serbia vs. Austria (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| Mon, Oct 10 | 2:45 p.m. | Faroe Islands vs. Portugal (European WCQ) | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 | |
| 2:45 p.m. | Latvia vs. Hungary (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Estonia vs. Greece (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Gibraltar vs. Belgium (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| Tue, Oct 11 | 5:00 a.m. | Australia vs. Japan (Asian WCQ) | ESPN3 | |
| 9:00 a.m. | Uzbekistan vs. China (Asian WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 10:45 a.m. | Iran vs. South Korea (Asian WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Slovenia vs. England (European WCQ) | ESPN2 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Germany vs. Northern Ireland (European WCQ) | ESPN Deportes, ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Norway vs. San Marino (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 2:45 p.m. | Denmark vs. Montenegro (European WCQ) | ESPN3 | ||
| 8:00 p.m. | United States vs. New Zealand (Friendly) | ESPN | ||
