These 2 gay World Cup broadcasters are making soccer history
Play-by-announcer Josh Eastern and game analyst Lori Lindsey are excited about their calls on the World Cup.
Mark
It’s only fitting that broadcasters Josh Eastern and Lori Lindsey, who have called several MLS games together, should each have a role at the 2026 World Cup and one that’s steeped in a bit of history.
Lindsey, a former U.S. Women’s National Team champion and Olympic gold medalist, is an analyst on eight group stage games for Fox, partnered with play-by-play announcer JP Dellacamera. Eastern is the play-by-play voice for the international English feed for the four group stage games in Guadalajara, Mexico, including Thursday’s Mexico vs. South Korea game.
Lindsey and Eastern are each gay. Eastern will be the first out World Cup play-by-announcer, while Lindsey will be the first out analyst on U.S. World Cup coverage. Both are honorees on the inaugural Outsports Soccer Power 26.
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Both announcers took to Instagram to celebrate their news.
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“Feeling all the emotions, but mostly just excited and incredibly grateful to be calling this Men’s World Cup,” Lindsey wrote.
“The ‘94 and ‘99 World Cups were such a huge part of what sparked my dream of one day playing in a World Cup. Now, I’m getting ready to broadcast my second World Cup — and my first on North American soil. Pretty wild. It really feels like a full-circle moment.
“I get to do it alongside the GOAT, JP Dellacamera (his 18th World Cup 
), and producing legend Sharni Yerke. So lucky to be on this team. 
”
(@lorilindsey6)Related
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When Zac Brown came out as gay after a long career in soccer, the response was all positive. ‘I feel it is my duty to be visible. I want to show up in every environment as my authentic, queer, badass, successful, quirky and not always perfect self.’
Eastern, whose Instagram is private, was equally ecstatic, posting: “Here we goooooo. Still can’t believe this sentence: Off to call my first ever World Cup. This has been a goal of mine ever since I started calling professional soccer in 2019. To see it realized is everything.”
The international feed is not heard in the U.S. since Fox has the rights, but Eastern’s call of South Korea’s game-winning goal against Czechia can be found on social media.
Eastern, who lives in Miami, came out as gay on his blog on National Coming Out Day in 2021. “It did take some time to realize this is who I am. It’s a phase of accepting yourself before you ask people to accept you. Now that it’s all out there, it’s for the better,” he wrote.
Lindsey linked her being gay with an understanding of trans people in a 2020 column. “I’m openly gay and I remember what it feels like to be different,” Lindsey wrote. “High school is hard enough for anyone, especially for LGBTQ youth; and it can be particularly difficult for transgender students. … Politicians shouldn’t make this worse by banning students from teams. Our laws should protect transgender youth, not discriminate against them.”
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