Together, the two networks paid more than $1 billion for the U.S. rights to this tournament and the 2022 event in Qatar, and now both face the same headwinds. The U.S. team, historically the strongest draw for domestic viewers, failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament. The time change also means games start as early as 6 a.m. on the East Coast, earlier than the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Both networks are newcomers to World Cup broadcasts.