Fox may have already lost its World Cup breakout star in Zlatan Ibrahimović

Ibrahimović was identified as Fox’s top talent by Fox Sports president Brad Zager when building out the studio team ahead of the tournament in March. The Swede had never worked in television before the World Cup. He was generally praised for his performance, with some comparing him to Inside the NBA panelist Charles Barkley.

Overall, Fox’s studio team was not universally lauded, but much of the criticism landed on the sole American on the panel, Alexi Lalas. That led some to speculate that Ibrahimović and Frenchman Thierry Henry disliked Lalas.

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But that didn’t seem to be the case as Ibrahimović signed off. He took the time to personally shake hands with and thank each member of the studio team.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to share this studio with you guys. You have made it very easy for me,” Ibrahimović added.

If Ibrahimović is truly done with Fox, that would be a blow for the network. While it’s not clear which U.S. network will televise the next World Cup, Fox will air major soccer tournaments in the near future, including the 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup and UEFA Euro 2028. Fox has an interest in making those tournaments feel like major events, and keeping a similar studio panel together could help accomplish that.

Of course, this could all be a leverage tactic for Ibrahimović. And his most common sports analyst comparison in Barkley, for example, has talked about walking away from television many times in the past, yet keeps going strong.