Former Socceroos and World Cup veterans headline the expert commentary with John Aloisi, Tony Popovic, Brett Emerton, Paul Okon, Shane Smeltz, Luke Wilkshire, Alex Wilkinson, Tony Vidmar, Amy Harrison and Sasa Ognenovski all on board.

As well, two dedicated reporters will be on the ground in Russia: respected presenter Michael Zappone, who will be embedded with the Socceroos during their campaign, and Premier League journalist Kelly Somers, who will follow the biggest matches and storylines as they unfold on the ground throughout the tournament. 

They will be joined by Optus Sport’s anchor crew of hosts consisting of Richard Bayliss, Mel McLaughlin and Jules Breach and analysts Mark Schwarzer and Michael Bridges. 

Optus Sport Executive Producer Richard Bayliss said: “We’re incredibly proud of the team we’ve assembled, one which will engage with Optus Sport subscribers while providing a staggering amount of access and insight.

“It’s a well-respected team of professionals because of their achievements in the game and considering the stories they have to tell along with their passion for the tournament, bringing them together is going to be enjoyable for both the viewers and us."

Optus Sport will be broadcasting up to 11.5 hours of live programming each matchday, including its live match coverage. 

As an official broadcaster, Optus Sport will have access to the full array of FIFA produced material throughout the tournament.  This includes the FIFA TV Preview show and FIFA TV Highlights show compiled each matchday, plus other exclusive material compiled by the 32 FIFA TV crews who will be located with each team, and the eight FIFA TV story crews who will provide regular daily content for Optus’ use. 

Team training and press conferences, coach and player interviews, team arrivals at match venues and other exclusive interviews will be covered as they happen throughout the tournament.

OPTUS SPORT PRODUCED PROGRAMMING 

Every match day Optus Sport will be producing dedicated World Cup programs for its subscribers, in addition to access to all 64 matches of the 2018 FIFA World CupTM live and on-demand.  The Optus Sport produced programs include:

Match Coverage, on 2018 FIFA World CupTM Match Days

From Russia With Love, 9PM on 2018 FIFA World CupTM Match Days 

Countdown to Kick-Off, 9:30PM on 2018 FIFA World CupTM Match Days 

Added Time: Live, 6AM on 2018 FIFA World CupTM Match Days

Red Square Live, 6:30AM on 2018 FIFA World CupTM Match Days

Goal-a-thon

Plus other programming