Fox hires Chad Johnson, née Ochocinco, as a pundit for World Cup

The former NFL star’s inclusion will raise some eyebrows due to his lack of soccer experience

Fox has announced that former NFL star Chad Johnson will serve as an analyst on the network’s “FIFA World Cup Tonight” show during the tournament this winter.

The show will air nightly during the 2022 World Cup on FS1 at 11 p.m. ET and at midnight across all time zones on Fox.

In addition to Johnson, Fox also confirmed that Kate Abdo will serve as host and ex-USMNT star Maurice Edu will be an analyst, along with an additional guest analyst who will join the trio.

“Kate, Mo and Chad bring expertise, experience and originality to Fox Sports’ nightly coverage of the tournament, and we look forward to having them, along with a few surprise guests, raise the level of excitement in recapping all the action for viewers across America,” said David Neal, executive producer of Fox’s World Cup coverage, in a statement.

Johnson, who from 2008 to 2012 was known as Chad Ochocinco to honor his uniform number of 85, was called a “soccer aficionado” in Fox’s release.

Johnson had a four-day trial with Sporting Kansas City in 2011. Fox said that Johnson’s “passion for soccer has grown exponentially since then as both an avid fan and constant consumer of the beautiful game worldwide.”

Johnson was a six-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro over 11 seasons in the NFL.

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