He played soccer at Clemson. Now he calls the World Cup’s biggest games on TV
On Sunday, Lionel Messi and Argentina will face off against Lamine Yamal and Spain in a star-studded FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.
Millions of fans will tune into FOX’s broadcast of the men’s championship match. When they do, they’ll hear a former Clemson soccer player on the broadcast.
For the third straight World Cup cycle, former Tigers player Stu Holden is working as FOX’s top color analyst and will call Sunday’s Argentina-Spain title match at 3 p.m.
Although he only spent a year and a half at Clemson before going pro, Holden said he remains proud to represent the Tigers on a national broadcasting stage.
“It’s a special place,” Holden said Friday in a media Zoom call. “I actually love when I go around and people will yell, ‘Go Tigers!’ to me. It’s a cool part to have in my life.”
Holden, 40, played two seasons at Clemson from 2003-04 before leaving to pursue an international career. He played in the English Premier League, won two MLS titles with the Houston Dynamo and was a midfielder on the U.S. 2010 World Cup team.
After a run of injuries cut his pro career short, Holden made a quick and successful pivot to soccer broadcasting. He’s called over 400 matches with his play-by-play partner John Strong since 2014, including the 2018 and 2022 men’s World Cup finals.
Earlier this summer, Holden and Strong called all three of Team USA’s group stage matches as well as the United States’ Round of 32 knockout stage win against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 and its Round of 16 loss to Belgium on July 6.
All eyes (and ears) will be on Holden once again Sunday as he helps put a bow on the first men’s World Cup hosted on U.S. soil since 1994.
The tournament has featured record-setting attendance and viewership and ends with a made-for-TV matchup between defending champ Argentina and Spain.
“I just feel so fortunate to be in the position,” Holden said.
Here are some additional highlights from Holden’s Friday’s media Zoom call to preview the World Cup final, including some Clemson football talk.
How Clemson helped Holden launch his soccer career
SH: ”Honestly, without going to Clemson, I don’t think I would have ever had the professional career I did. Because it was a pro environment in a college setting with great coaches, weight facilities. It was the first time I ever lifted a weight. It was a time for me to mature and grow up. I was just a kid.”
“I visited recently for the first time in about eight years to play in an alumni golf tournament. I went for a walk around that stadium (Historic Riggs Field), and it was one of the first times I’ve sat in the bleachers. All the memories just flooded back to me. … John (Strong) likes to joke that I only went to college for a year, but it was a very important year in my life.”
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The balance of rooting for Team USA while also being critical
SH: “I’ve said that that game against Belgium was the hardest game I’ve ever had to call in my career because of the stakes, how many people were watching that we knew and trying to be fair and honest in my critique and my assessment of the game. You’re having to criticize guys because they’re not playing well.”
“And look, we want the U.S. team to win. … I think those are the games where our biases potentially do show, as opposed to other games where we call it right down the middle. It’s the U.S. national team. We’re calling for American TV. We want the U.S. to win. So, yeah, those emotions are tough to handle. But we have to keep it together, because that’s part of our job.
How the 2026 World Cup could be ‘pivotal’ for U.S. men’s soccer
SH: “The United States is a soccer nation, but we all want to be better. We all want to go past the Round of 16. We do that on the women’s side. From the top down, I think there’s a genuine want, and there’ll be a really hard look at the ways we can invest and make the game more accessible and bring down pay-to-play and reward those that develop the best players.”
“I’m excited, honestly. … When we look back in 20 years, this will be a really pivotal tournament for that next phase of growth for our sport.”
Why Messi is the greatest soccer player ever
SH: “He’s the best player I’ve ever seen. … The Spanish approach to him will have to be one where they have belief in what they do defensively. You can’t take any of those plays off. I think he’s the best passer of the ball in the world right now, as well as the best goal scorer in the world.”
“He takes what the game gives him, which is what makes him so dangerous. ... That’s why I’ve always had him at the very top — because it’s not only about Messi.”
Keeping up with Clemson fútbol … and football
SH: “We stunk in football when I was there, so it’s kind of cool that we’re really good at football now. I haven’t met Dabo Swinney, but I’d love to. I always love meeting people that are really interesting, successful leaders and coaches.”
“And it’s really cool for me to see the men’s soccer program is still one of the best in the country. Mike Noonan, the coach, was not my coach there but has become a really close friend. I love the way he mentors and keeps the alumni engaged.”
“When I was on campus, I spent a lot of time with the players, and now we all follow each other on Instagram. I maybe took them out a little too late that night (laughs).”
This story was originally published July 19, 2026 at 7:00 AM.
