Claudio Fabiano Is Preparing for the World Cup Like an Athlete

For most people, the FIFA World Cup arrives all at once. One day it’s talk, the next it’s everywhere. Matches on in the morning, flags out at pubs, group chats suddenly full again.

For Claudio “Claudes” Fabiano – lead SBS host for the FIFA World Cup 2026 – it’s already underway.

“The event started early for me,” he says. “I feel like I started my prep a couple of months before. Now it’s just excitement.”

At 29, Claudes is stepping into his biggest role yet as lead host. It’s a much bigger assignment compared to what he’s done before. No longer just a daily wrap show or highlights package as he did for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but live coverage, night after night, across the biggest tournament the sport has ever staged.

And while those of us at home will probably only watch a few hours of football each day during the tournament, Claudes has already spent months keeping tabs on players, squads, injuries and club football across the globe.

“You’re living a slightly nocturnal life,” he says. “Your brain is just full of this tournament.”

Inside the World Cup ‘Bubble’

Working a World Cup means entering what Claudes calls a “bubble”. Sleep is hard to come by with the time difference. Routines have to match the day’s schedule. But everything revolves around one thing: World Cup football.

“You’re living different hours from everyone else, and everything that you’re consuming is World Cup content,” he explains. “You’re almost closed off from the outside world. That’s your life for the month.”

Broadcasters are fed a constant stream of information, from team analysis to obscure records that might never be broken but still need to be ready to call if history is made.

“You can be quizzed on anything at any moment,” he says.

That preparation is what allows Claudes and many others involved with the live coverage to “actually enjoy the tournament.” Once the first ball is kicked, the heavy lifting is done. From there, it’s about reading the game, reacting, and staying sharp.

More Than Just Football

Hosting the World Cup with SBS goes far beyond just calling the action on the field.

“You’re not just hosting a sport,” Claudes says. “You need to make sure you’re clued up culturally on every country.”

That means pronouncing names correctly across 48 nations, understanding the context behind each team, and recognising what the tournament means to various communities watching from Australia.

“A lot of people feel a lot of national pride during these six weeks when they watch their countries at a World Cup,” he says. “It’s our obligation to make sure they’re well represented,” he says.

The World Cup is one of the few moments where a country like Australia, with its mix of cultures and backgrounds, all tune in for the same reason.

“People need unity,” Claudes says. “And football, particularly World Cups, brings that unity amongst people.”

SBS Is Building the World Cup Around Experience

SBS’ FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage will be anchored from Sydney by Claudes and veteran football presenter Niav Owens, with former Socceroos star Harry Kewell and Matildas great Lydia Williams joining as analysts throughout the tournament.

Leading commentary duties for every Socceroos match is David Basheer, one of the most experienced football callers in Australian broadcasting, with more than 35 years behind the microphone and 11 FIFA World Cups across men’s and women’s tournaments.

As the exclusive Australian broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup 2026, SBS will air all 104 matches live and free across SBS, SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand, alongside replays, highlights and a dedicated World Cup hub.

Claude believes Australian audiences are in a fortunate position to watch the tournament.

“We’re a very unique country that we show all 104 matches for free,” he says. “That doesn’t happen everywhere.”

Same Pressure, Just Another Arena

Claudes still spends most of his life around football outside the studio as captain of UNSW FC in the National Premier Leagues, with the emotions of playing and presenting feeling surprisingly similar.

“I literally get the same feeling I get when I’m in the change room about to play football,” he says. “It’s the same thing for me.”

The finished broadcast might look effortless on screen, but viewers never see the lighting rigs, camera setups, producers, editors and crew members working behind the scenes to hold it all together, live, night after night.

“It’s important that everyone’s appreciated,” he says. “It’s important that everyone knows everyone’s name when we’re in a production. There are experts next to me who need to shine. It’s my job to massage the conversation so they can show their qualities.”

Then there’s the live element.

“There’s no second chance. You’re live to all of Australia. There are a couple of million people watching you right now, so you’d better get everything right,” he says.

It’s the same pressure that players talk about, just in another setting. One mistake, one missed cue, and it’s out there. But for Claudes, that’s part of the appeal.

“It’s the same butterfly feeling,” he says. “Whether it’s music, acting, stage or television, you get the best version of people when they’re live.”

The Reinvention That Changed Everything

That comfort in front of the camera didn’t come from a traditional path. At 24, Claudes underwent hip resurfacing surgery after a run of injuries that forced him to step away from playing at a high level. At one point, all physical activity stopped.

What started as a way to stay connected to football turned into something bigger. His early content was raw, unpolished, and at odds with traditional broadcast. That turned out to be what his audience connected with most.

“I wanted to go get media trained at the time because I had so much time off with my hip surgery,” he says. “And they told me, don’t do it. Just stay raw, just be yourself. That’s what people want.”

That authentic approach stuck, and eventually, broadcasting became more than just a way for Claudes to stay connected to football.

“I think I can maybe change the game more as a broadcaster than I ever could as a player.”

The New Reality of Sports Media

That shift also reflects a broader change in how sports media works.

“I don’t have someone writing my script,” Claudes says. “I produce myself.”

From filming in a spare bedroom at his grandma’s house to co-owning the Sydney production studio I Want It Yesterday, Claudes has built a career around doing far more than just presenting. Writing, editing, producing, understanding the technical side of broadcast. It’s all part of the job now.

“People are looking for a jack of all trades,” he says. And his advice for those looking to do the same is, “maybe take the extra time and the extra effort to learn how it gets put together as well.”

Balancing the Load

For all the intensity, Claudes is clear on one thing. This isn’t something to survive. It’s something to enjoy.

“The FIFA World Cup is my number one priority because I grew up with the FIFA World Cup on SBS,” he says. “I grew up with Les Murray, with Johnny Warren, with Craig Foster. So for me, I feel the weight of the position I have. But it’s not a burden at all.” 

He still plans to train, stay active, and maintain some sense of normal life during the tournament, even with the schedule shifting around him.

“People focus so much on their mind, but if you’re a super active person and you stop that for a month, then your mind’s not gonna work as well, you’re not gonna be as sharp,” he says.

It’s a mindset that mirrors the players he’s covering. Preparation isn’t just mental. It’s physical. It’s routine. It’s everything that keeps you sharp when the spotlight turns on.

What the World Cup Still Means

In Australia, football doesn’t dominate the sporting conversation year-round, but the World Cup still has a way of pulling everyone in.

“Football in Australia is never a straight road,” Claudes says. “It’s a bit of a rollercoaster.”

That’s part of why even the biggest AFL and NRL tragics suddenly find themselves watching football during a World Cup.

“It’s an opportunity to remind everyone why football’s the biggest game in the world, why I think football is Australia’s game, because I think football represents the real Australia better than any other sport,” Claudes says.

“It’s not every day that you get this mass celebration of all these different cultures like you do during a FIFA World Cup,” he says.

The Teams To Watch

But of course, we couldn’t end our conversation with Claudes without coming back to the football itself.

Claudes thinks this Socceroos side could make things very interesting if the momentum builds early.

“If the green and gold win a couple games and go far, we have a really good group, man,” he says. “We could beat the US, which would be a huge thing for Australia, to be the number one villain of the World Cup, beating the home team in Seattle.”

As for who actually wins the thing, Claudes admits the obvious answer is probably France.

“France is the best team in the world on paper,” he says.

But he keeps coming back to the team that has already won the World Cup five times.

“I’m gonna give you Brazil with Carlo Ancelotti as their manager,” he says. “I think he could be the missing piece.”

A World Cup To Look Forward To

And while the rest of us are figuring out kickoff times, group stage predictions and which matches are worth setting an alarm for, Claudes has already been living inside the tournament for months.

By the time the opening whistle blows, Claudes will already be several weeks deep inside the World Cup bubble.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 kicks off on 12 June, with SBS broadcasting all 104 matches live and free across SBS and SBS On Demand.