James Corden and Rio Ferdinand are joining forces to host a World Cup-themed show on Fox Sports. Titled “Fox World Cup: Late Night After Party,” the program will air in the midnight slot and premiere on June 11, coinciding with the opening day of the tournament.
Both Londoners by birth, Corden is a West Ham fan and Ferdinand is a former West Ham player. The studio will also feature Ian Karmel, a comedian who served as head writer on “The Late Late Show with James Corden” and contributed to the Grammy Awards in 2017 and 2018.
With one month to go until the World Cup opener between host nation Mexico and South Africa, Fox Sports unveiled the promotional poster for the new show on social media. The poster depicts Corden, Ferdinand, and Karmel as table football figures. Ferdinand wears an England World Cup Nike kit, Karmel is in a U.S. shirt, and Corden sports his beloved West Ham jersey, complete with a football at his feet.
The network captioned the post: “The game ends, the show begins. ‘Fox World Cup Late Night Show – James Corden Leads,’ featuring Rio Ferdinand and Ian Karmel. Starting June 11, midnight weekly on Fox.”
However, the announcement has drawn mostly negative reactions on social media. One user commented, “Terrible, absolutely nothing good about it.” Another said, “Who would want to watch this?” A third noted, “Too awkward,” while others simply wrote, “Not a fan, not at all.”
James Corden, 47, rose to fame in the UK with “Gavin & Stacey” and delivered a motivational speech for the England team during Comic Relief. He broke into the U.S. market by hosting “The Late Late Show,” taking over from Craig Ferguson in March 2015 and staying until 2023. His “Carpool Karaoke” segment became a massive hit, featuring stars like Adele, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, and Paul McCartney.
Rio Ferdinand won six Premier League titles with Manchester United and played in three World Cups for England. After retiring in 2015, the defender joined TNT Sports as a commentator and produced several football documentaries. He left TNT Sports last summer and moved to Dubai with his family.
