of their own homes.

Whether they have cable or not, TV viewers island-wide will be able to catch the action as it happens.

The good news for Bermuda's armchair sports fans comes as a result of a package annnounced yesterday by ABC Sports and cable television sports network ESPN to broadcast all 52 games of the tournament without commercial breaks during play.

The World Cup, to be played in eight US cities from June 17 to July 17, will mark the first time the United States has ever hosted the world's largest sporting event.

"It will be soccer the way it should be shown -- without commercial interruption,'' said ESPN spokesman Loren Matthews at a news conference.

ABC Sports (TV-7 Bermuda/Cable TV Channel 2) will broadcast 11 games, including the championship round. ESPN (Cable TV Channels 24 and 39) which is owned by the ABC Network, will air the other 41 games, including one semifinal match.

All of the ABC telecasts will be live, while more than 30 of the ESPN games will be carried live, a spokeswoman for World Cup USA said, who added that the package was worth between $11 and $12 million.

Network officials were initially worried over revenues for televising the World Cup because the 45-minute soccer halves are not conducive to the American television advertising format.

But Stephen Solomon, an ABC Sports spokesman, said ABC persuaded major sponsors to take pre and post-game show advertisements in addition to half-time commercials.

Sponsors will also have their logos shown alongside the gameclock during matches, Solomon said.

More than 26 billion people tuned in from 167 different countries for the 1990 World Cup in Italy, with 1.5 billion watching the final.