Rebecca Lowe, host of Fox Sports' World Cup final pregame coverage, described a harrowing helicopter ride that nearly caused broadcasters to miss the event. The journey from a set in Brooklyn Bridge Park to MetLife Stadium for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final involved a boat, a car, and a helicopter.
"We started with a boat from the ferry stop over the East River to another pier, into a car to take us a couple of piers down to the heliport," Lowe said on the "After The Whistle" podcast. She added that while she had sworn off helicopters after a previous experience, she agreed to the mode of transport for her World Cup duties.
The helicopter ride, which was scheduled to take seven minutes, stretched to 30 minutes due to circling. Lowe recounted the experience as "terrifying" and "very bumpy," noting that she and Zlatan Ibrahimović were silent due to the intensity of the flight, while Alexi Lalas appeared to enjoy it. The helicopter's unexpected landing in Kearny, New Jersey, instead of Teterboro, required a swift relocation of the police escort.
Lowe expressed disbelief that she might miss the final after 39 days of coverage due to travel issues. However, the police escort reportedly drove at "105 mph" to navigate New Jersey Turnpike traffic and ensure the Fox team arrived at MetLife Stadium in time. The group reached the set at 1:51 p.m. and went on air for their next segment at 1:54 p.m.
The pregame show and the subsequent World Cup final broadcast were a significant success for Fox, drawing an average of 38.937 million viewers and peaking at nearly 52 million. This viewership set a record for the most-watched English-language soccer broadcast in United States history and marked the highest-rated non-Super Bowl sporting event in the U.S. since the 1984 Winter Olympics.