​Forty years after he first stepped onto the global stage to call a World Cup match from a CBC studio in Toronto, JP Dellacamera has called his last. In a conversation with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dellacamera explained that the convergence of the tournament returning to American soil and Fox’s current broadcasting deal winding down created the right moment to step away from the sport’s biggest stage after four decades of coverage. His final assignment came on July 2 in Vancouver, where he called the Switzerland-Algeria match, the ninth game he narrated this summer alongside analyst Lori Lindsey. That match capped an extraordinary run that included 18 combined men’s and women’s World Cups dating back to 1986.
At 74, Dellacamera isn’t stepping away from international soccer entirely. He will continue calling NWSL games for CBS Sports and ION, and he indicated to the Inquirer that he hopes to keep collaborating with Fox on other properties, including next year’s Concacaf Gold Cup and the 2028 UEFA European Championship. The door to a future World Cup return remains ajar but uncertain. Fox has already lost the rights to the women’s tournament after FIFA packaged them separately, with Netflix securing the 2027 and 2031 editions. Dellacamera said he had early talks with Netflix about a possible role in that coverage, but nothing materialized yet. While the bidding for the 2030 and 2034 men’s tournaments has not opened, if Fox is not among the winners, Dellacamera’s World Cup chapter would close regardless.
“I’ve never taken World Cups for granted,” he told the Inquirer. “The fact that I did one didn’t mean I was guaranteed to do two; the fact that I did six didn’t mean I was going to get to seven. So, I’ve never looked at it that way. It’s always been a privilege to do it—and you have to have luck in this business, too.” His final Vancouver broadcastbookended an arc that began at BC Place—also the site of the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, called by Dellacamera with Cat Whitehill and Tony DiCicco—marking a return to the stadium where his World Cup journey had come full circle. That moment, highlighted by Awful Announcing, underscored the evolution of American soccer broadcasting after years in which Dellacamera had often been overlooked as ESPN leaned on British commentators for its World Cup coverage.
Forty years after he first took a seat behind the mic for ESPN, Dellacamera left Vancouver with 18 World Cups to his name and a sport whose profile and infrastructure had surged dramatically since his debut. He had watched the game grow from a niche broadcast offering into a mainstream, globally followed spectacle, flourishing in a media landscape that now includes multiple networks and streaming platforms eager to showcase FIFA’s marquee events. Dellacamera’s departure from the World Cup stage comes at a moment when American soccer is stronger than ever, with MLS expanding, the NWSL gaining traction, and the sport continuing to attract a diverse, enthusiastic audience across the country.
While Dellacamera’s World Cup career has concluded for now, his ongoing work in the NWSL and his potential continued involvement with Fox on other properties signal that his voice will still be a familiar and trusted presence for fans across the United States. He remains hopeful about future opportunities, including possible roles tied to major international competitions, and his reflections on a four-decade journey emphasize both gratitude and realism about the nature of broadcast careers in the modern era. As Dellacamera steps away from calling World Cup matches, his professional legacy endures in the broadcasts that helped shape American soccer’s growth and in the countless memorable moments he helped fans experience on the world’s biggest stage.