WITH the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup entering its final stages, Caribbean Premier Sports Limited (CPSL), operators of Rush Sports, says it is preparing a comprehensive regional broadcast operation designed to bring the tournament closer than ever to Caribbean audiences.

CPSL Chief Executive Officer Michael Look Tong said the company holds broadcast rights for 13 Caribbean markets and will be delivering coverage of football’s biggest spectacle across the region, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Bonaire, Anguilla, St Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Dominica, Belize, Turks and Caicos Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands.

“We’re trying to create a whole experience so people can get excited about the World Cup, be involved, and have a chance to touch and feel it. That’s what we are really trying to create,” Look Tong explained to the Jamaica Observer.

In 12 of those territories, Rush Sports will carry all 104 matches of the expanded World Cup. Jamaica, however, will have a unique arrangement, with coverage shared between Rush Sports and TVJ.

“In Jamaica, we are doing 50 per cent of the games – 52 matches, and the other half would be on
TVJ,” he said. “They’re all separate games except the opening game and the final. Everything else is evenly split down the line.”

Jamaica will also play a central role in the broadcaster’s regional production plans, serving as the base for a World Cup studio programme that will be distributed throughout the Caribbean. While details of the full talent line-up remain under wraps, he confirmed that veteran broadcaster Lance Whittaker will serve as the programme’s lead host.

“We will have personalities, we will have pundits, we’ll be talking to the fans as well as the hardcore football enthusiasts. Lance would be the main host, and then we have a diverse and interesting group of talent from around the region and I think fans would enjoy it,” Look Tong added.

Beyond traditional television coverage, CPSL is seeking to create what it describes as a complete World Cup experience through cinema screenings, public viewing events and fan promotions and giveaways — including tickets to World Cup matches.

In Jamaica, the company has partnered with Palace Amusement to bring selected matches to the big screen.

“We have a deal with Palace Amusement. They would be carrying some games, both in Carib 5 as well as in Sunshine in Portmore,” Look Tong said, noting that final scheduling arrangements are being completed.

The screenings will feature dedicated feeds delivered directly to cinemas in high resolution.

“The whole cinema experience is fantastic,” Look Tong said. “We actually did it for the Champions League final, which went across very, very well. The largest cinema was full and it had a fantastic atmosphere.”

The cinema initiative will also extend to Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago through similar partnerships.

Meanwhile, football fans in Jamaica can also look forward to large-scale public viewing opportunities.

CPSL is partnering with Supreme Ventures for their football village viewing execution at Caymanas Park, which will feature what organisers describe as the largest outdoor screen in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Behind the scenes, however, he acknowledged that delivering the tournament across multiple territories presents significant logistical and technical challenges.

“It is a huge undertaking on the sponsorship front because things are tight,” he said, adding that the company is nonetheless in a “good place” ahead of kick-off.

“There is also a lot of work on the technical side because, as you can imagine, getting this tournament in and then distributed to all these markets, there’s a fair amount of technical work that we’re doing.”

With just days remaining before the first whistle, Look Tong said the complex operation, from shared broadcast arrangements in Jamaica to regional distribution and recording infrastructure, is steadily falling into place, setting the stage for what he promises will be the most expansive World Cup viewing experience ever offered to Caribbean football fans.

The executive added that fans will also be able to view the broadcast on their devices through dedicated apps tied to their respective provider, with Digicel users having access to th Digicel Plus app and Flow customers, the Bluu application.

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