'It's crazy': Broadcasters toil, and revel, in supersized World Cup

SANTA CLARA, California, July 1 : A 104-match, 39-day World Cup held across three countries might be a heavy slog for the players, but spare a thought for the broadcasters. 

The North American World Cup has smashed records with its revenue and reach, with over 100 different networks delivering soccer's showpiece to 223 territories, and FIFA anticipating more than six billion media engagements, a billion more than in 2022. 

And the work going into cross-platform coverage of the expanded 48-team tournament is enormous. 

Among the unsung heroes are match commentators, who are shuttling between the 16 host cities, each game requiring hours of meticulous homework to tell the stories of each team and player to audiences of millions.  

For BBC commentator Steve Bower, the scale of this World Cup is a challenge on a level he's not experienced in three decades of broadcasting. 

"This tournament is crazy," Bower told Reuters after the latest of the nine games he's covered so far across six cities and two countries. 

"The number of teams, the volume of matches, the travel, the different nations ... this competition has tested our skills in new ways."

PINK BOOTS AND PERMUTATION PUZZLES

New challenges include identifying players, with commentary positions high up in giant NFL stadiums and players wearing the same fluorescent pink boots.

Focus amid drama is critical, Bower said, especially for simultaneous matches and fast-changing group stage permutations, made trickier by the new format's qualification provision for best third-place finishers. 

Behind the composed and authoritative delivery are occasional nerves from the necessity to keep the audience on top of the big picture, and make big calculations under pressure. 

"Experience helps you