Courtesy: ESPN
ESPN and the ESPN family of networks are offering extensive coverage of the annual FIFA World Cup qualifying matches this weekend. They will feature a total of thirty-nine qualifying matches beginning with a broadcast of the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) taking on the Jamaican National Team Friday October 11th at 6pm ET on ESPN/WatchESPN. The USMNT qualified for Brazil 2014 after its victory over Mexico in its last qualifying match in September. The team will look to make its lineup for June more concrete when it faces Jamaica tomorrow night. Ian Darke, Taylor Twellman, and reporter Jeremy Schaap will have all the action from Sporting Park in Kansas City, KS.
Despite its loss to the USMNT in September, Mexico has a chance to redeem itself in a must-win situation when it faces Panama at 9:15pm ET on ESPNEWS/WatchESPN. The match will mean even more for Mexico as Mexico will host Panama on its own soil. Commentator Fernando Paloma and analyst Alejandro Moreno will have the call live from Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Reporter John Sutcliffe will have more from the sidelines.
Over on ESPN2, audiences will get whiparound coverage on ESPN FC FIFA World Cup Whiparound from 2:30 – 5pm ET on Tuesday, October 15th. Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman will serve as hosts of the show, which will broadcast live from the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Florida. Healey and Twellman will take audiences through the major on-field highlights and of key games. They will also a number of live look-ins of on-the-field action at various games.
By the end of the day on Tuesday, October 15th, a total of eleven countries will have earned berths in the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament. Another of those teams is Germany. Germany was a semifinalist in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It will take on Ireland live October 11th at 2:30pm ET on ESPN2. Also to be featured Friday will be Belgium, Switzerland, and Russia. All three will have matches featured on the ESPN family of networks. Uruguay, Colombia, Honduras, and Chile also have a chance to clinch a World Cup berth on Friday.
A full schedule of the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying matches is listed below.
Schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Network(s) |
| Fri, Oct 11 | 11 a.m. | Armenia vs. Bulgaria | ESPN3 |
| 11:30 a.m. | Lithuania vs. Latvia | ESPN3 | |
| 12 p.m. | Croatia vs. Belgium | ESPN Deportes / WatchESPN / ESPN3 | |
| 12 p.m. | Azerbaijan vs. Northern Ireland | ESPN3 | |
| 12 p.m. | Moldova vs. San Marino | ESPN3 | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Malta vs. Czech Republic | ESPN3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Bosnia-Herzegovina vs. Liechtenstein | ESPN3 | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Luxembourg vs. Russia | ESPN3 | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Netherlands vs. Hungary | ESPN3 | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Estonia vs. Turkey | ESPN3 | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Albania vs. Switzerland | ESPN3 | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Andorra vs. Romania | ESPN3 | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Germany vs. Ireland | ESPN2 / WatchESPN | |
| 2:45 p.m. | Greece vs. Slovakia | ESPN3 | |
| 2:45 p.m. | Slovenia vs. Norway | ESPN3 | |
| 2:45 p.m. | Iceland vs. Cyprus | ESPN3 | |
| 2:55 p.m. | France vs. Australia (Friendly Match) |
ESPN3 | |
| 3:45 p.m. | Portugal vs. Israel | ESPN3 | |
| 4 p.m. | Spain vs. Belarus | ESPN Deportes / WatchESPN / ESPN3 | |
| 6 p.m. | United States vs. Jamaica | ESPN / WatchESPN | |
| 9:15 p.m. | Mexico vs. Panama | ESPNEWS / WatchESPN | |
| Sun, Oct 13 | 9 p.m. | Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders | ESPN / ESPN Deportes / WatchESPN |
| Tue, Oct 15 | 1 p.m. | Israel vs. Northern Ireland | ESPN3 |
| 1 p.m. | Portugal vs. Luxembourg | ESPN Deportes / WatchESPN / ESPN3 | |
| 1 p.m. | Azerbaijan vs. Russia | ESPN3 | |
| 1 p.m. | Lithuania vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina | ESPN3 | |
| 1 p.m. | Greece vs. Liechtenstein | ESPN3 | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Cyprus vs. Albania | ESPN3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Switzerland vs. Slovenia | ESPN3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Turkey vs. Netherlands | ESPN3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Hungary vs. Andorra | ESPN3 | |
| 2 p.m. | Romania vs. Estonia | ESPN3 | |
| 2:10 p.m. | Latvia vs. Slovakia | ESPN3 | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Bulgaria vs. Czech Republic | ESPN3 | |
| 2:30 p.m. | ESPN FC FIFA World Cup Whiparound | ESPN2 / WatchESPN | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Serbia vs. Macedonia | ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | San Marino vs. Ukraine | ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Montenegro vs. Moldova | ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Scotland vs. Croatia | ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Belgium vs. Wales | ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | Spain vs. Georgia | ESPN Deportes / WatchESPN / ESPN3 | |
| 3 p.m. | France vs. Finland | ESPN3 |
More information on this weekend’s qualifying and all things soccer is available online at http://www.facebook.com/ESPNFC and http://www.espnfc.com. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
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