Jérôme Sillon: "Commentating on a World Cup is the holy grail for a sports journalist."

With the 2026 World Cup approaching, Jérôme Sillon is preparing to put on his headset to follow the biggest event in world football as closely as possible. The RMC Sport journalist and commentator will be part of the special team deployed between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, where he will commentate on several major matches of the competition. A veteran of major international events, he has already commentated on three World Cups and four Champions League finals during his career. InterviewsHe looks back on his career, from the first radio multiplexes to major European evenings, and on a profession where the adrenaline of live broadcasting remains intact after more than twenty years of career.

Interview: You often say that sports commentary was a childhood dream. At what point did you realize that this passion could become a real profession? 

Jérôme Sillon: It really is a childhood dream, because I've wanted to do this job since I was ten. I was already talking about it to everyone back then: my parents, my friends… It became a reality, or at least a possibility, when I managed to get into the journalism school in Tours, which is one of the schools recognized by the collective bargaining agreement. Even at that school, there weren't any courses in sports commentary. They were really journalism courses. There weren't even necessarily any sports journalists who came to speak. I think we only had one session with Patrick Montel, the former athletics commentator on France Télévisions. But the advantage was that we could do internships at media companies. I was lucky enough to do an internship at France Football and Tout le Sport. And then, at that time, there was a huge change in the French radio landscape. In 2001, RMC, formerly Radio Monte-Carlo, was bought by Alain Weill. He decided to transform it into "RMC Info Talk Sport." The role of sports programming on the station then completely changed. At the time, sports coverage ran from 16 PM to midnight, Monday through Friday, and from 10 AM to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. Jean-Michel Larqué quickly joined the station to host "Larqué Foot," and other programs followed. I listened to RMC when I was younger, especially the Saturday night multiplex, to find out what was happening with all the matches. And when I saw the prominence sports coverage had on the station, I knew I absolutely had to work there. 

 How did you manage to get into RMC? 

 For a French national team match against Scotland at the Stade de France, I managed to get accreditation because I was doing an internship at France Football. But my goal that evening wasn't just to watch what was happening on the pitch, even though the match was interesting. My goal was to meet François Pesenti, the head of sports at RMC at the time, to offer him my services. I managed to see him, give him my CV, and he called me back. I started doing freelance work. It really became a reality the day I commentated on my first match on the radio. It was an Ajaccio match in August 2003, during my first RMC Sport multi-match broadcast. That's when the dream became a reality. 

You then covered several clubs such as Metz, Nancy, Sochaux and Strasbourg. Was this period your on-the-ground training ground? 

Yes, absolutely. Actually, I was based in Strasbourg. So I covered Strasbourg, but also Metz, Nancy, Sochaux, and matches of French clubs or European competitions that might take place in neighboring countries, in Switzerland or Germany. I was also the closest when Zinédine Zidane announced his return to the French national team in the summer of 2005. So I was the one who went to Austria to get his first statements, during a Real Madrid summer training camp. That period was an incredible learning experience. Perhaps the best learning experience, actually. It teaches you how to build a network, how to make contacts within a club, how to find sources, and then how to verify information. It also allows you to learn your trade with a bit less pressure than in Paris. Starting directly with Paris Saint-Germain or Olympique de Marseille is riskier. It's like a football career: it's better to start at less high-profile clubs, gain experience, understand the business, and then return to Paris. That's what I did in 2008. Then, in Paris, I was able to commentate on the best matches and follow the French national team from 2011 to 2016. 

 You have worked in several formats: radio, reporting, television, commentary… What gives you the most adrenaline rush today? 

 Match commentary. Nothing beats match commentary in terms of adrenaline. I remember my first live radio broadcast on RMC very well. It wasn't match commentary, but what we call a "report" in the jargon, meaning telling a story on air, doing a profile or a feature. I was very impressed. It was the first time I'd ever been behind a microphone in a radio studio. But in terms of adrenaline, nothing surpasses match commentary. It's still what I love doing most: commentating on matches. I did it on the radio from 2003 to 2016, and again since 2024. In between, there was the RMC Sport TV interlude, from 2016 to 2024, which was also wonderful. Commenting on live matches, recounting what is happening in the moment, sharing our emotions with those who listen or watch us, there is nothing more powerful. 

You have notably commentated on Champions League finals for RMC Sport. Do you feel a kind of “transcendence” before this type of event?

I'd already commentated on Champions League matches on the radio, so doing it on television wasn't entirely new to me. But the impressive thing about television is that you're talking to a camera knowing there are a lot of people behind it. And above all, I think there's an even greater level of expectation on television, especially on a pay channel. People have paid to watch you, so you have to live up to their expectations. You can't afford to make a mistake, in a way. There's a sense of accomplishment when you commentate on a Champions League final on pay TV. There's an even greater responsibility: that of having fulfilled your dream, but also of fulfilling a mission when all eyes are on you. A Champions League final is sometimes a bit different because the finals are also broadcast on free-to-air television. In France, it's one of the events broadcast for free. But for a semi-final, for example, the responsibility is immense. I'm thinking in particular of the 2020 semi-final between PSG and Leipzig, at the Final 8 in Lisbon. It was during the Covid period, in a stadium without fans, under lockdown. You know there are almost three million viewers watching you. At that moment, you think to yourself: "I have to live up to expectations, I have to be good, I have to give my all." So I wouldn't talk about transcendence, but rather about responsibility. And from a more general perspective, having commentated on World Cup finals in my career, like the 2014 one in Brazil, or Champions League finals, whether on radio or television, is obviously a kind of personal achievement. 

For some time now, you have also been presenting several variations of The After, particularly around English, Italian or German football. Why do these specialized formats work so well? 

Consumption patterns have completely changed. Not everyone can be constantly connected to RMC, whether in their car, at home, or on the bus. The podcast format has developed at such a rapid pace. It's so much simpler to choose when you want to listen to or re-listen to a show. And here's a significant difference: these aren't just podcasts of a live broadcast. These are shows specifically recorded, designed to be podcastable on all listening platforms, but also available to watch on the After's YouTube channel. And on After TV. These are truly original programs, shows in their own right, which we then adapt. If they work, it's because they complement what After offers, especially the Monday evening "Charlie's Angels." We provide additional insight, we delve deeper into a theme, we tell a different story that we don't necessarily have time to tell on regular RMC programming. The appetite of Italian, English, or German football fans isn't limited to breaking news. For example, we received a lot of messages when we told the story of Rot-Weiss Essen, a legendary Bundesliga club that now plays in the third division. These are stories that complement what we offer the rest of the time on After. 

RMC has just announced its coverage plan for the World Cup. What will your role be in this coverage? 

I'll have the privilege of being one of the forty people based in the United States, and elsewhere, throughout the entire tournament. I'll be responsible for commentating on some of the best matches of the first round: Algeria vs. Argentina in Kansas City, Germany vs. Ivory Coast in Toronto, Brazil vs. Scotland in Miami, and Spain vs. Uruguay in Guadalajara, Mexico. I'll be the only reporter who has the chance to experience the World Cup in all three host countries. I'll be spending most of my time in the United States, but I'll also be making a trip to Canada and a trip to Mexico before returning to the US. It will be exhilarating to report on the best matches of the first round, but not only that. I'll then be commentating on two Round of 32 matches, a Round of 16 match, and a quarter-final. And the idea isn't just to commentate on matches. We'll also be tasked with capturing moments from the World Cup and doing interviews with personalities. For example, I'm thinking of telling the story of how Kansas City managed to convince Algeria, England, the Netherlands, and Argentina to set up their training camps there. There's also a story to tell about Kansas City itself: why it's considered one of the soccer capitals of the United States, or at least one of the cities where football, as we know it in Europe, is most deeply experienced. It's all these stories that allow us to tell a different story about the World Cup. 

With travel, jet lag, and so much competition to cover, how do you manage to maintain a work-life balance? 

Since RMC Sport lost the Champions League rights, I travel less than before. So I have more time for my family, my wife and son. I also commentate on fewer matches than I used to. Back when I was with RMC Sport TV, I sometimes had four matches to commentate on a week, one of which involved travel. It was definitely more complicated then. But we're also lucky to have long periods of rest when we're not working. Now, I spend more time in the office recording shows. I still travel occasionally for commentary, but less than before. We've been preparing for the World Cup for months. I've planned everything with my wife so that it all goes smoothly in terms of our personal schedules and doesn't require too many sacrifices for her. We adapt, we make it work. She knows very well that it's a chance and a privilege, for a sports journalist, to go to the other side of the world to cover a World Cup. It's a bit like the holy grail. It's fixed for a specific period, and afterwards there will be a sufficiently long vacation to compensate. 

Finally, your prediction for the World Cup: can France win a third star? 

Of course they can. They have the potential to be world champions for a third time. The French team is a bit like Germany in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, the French team of the 2000s and 2020s is perhaps the best nation in the world, the one that reaches the final most often. So they are one of the logical favorites to win. However, it will be a World Cup with a new format and an extra round. This means five knockout matches. A lot can happen. We will also discover particular conditions, with the heat, the risk of storms, the weather, and the travel. We will have to see how the players respond to that. The advantage of the French team is that they have a very large pool of talent, especially among the substitutes. This will allow them to Didier Deschamps The aim is to rotate the squad and thus limit the impact of the schedule, the weather, and the heat on the team. But the competition will be fierce. I really like Portugal, which has a formidable squad. England will also be in the running. Perhaps this will finally be their year, with Thomas Tuchel at the helm. We should never rule out Brazil or Germany, which remain major footballing nations. Spain also offers something remarkable, built around a very well-oiled machine. And then there's Messi's Argentina: will they be at the level of 2022? We don't know. There will always be a surprise. With forty-eight teams, this new format could allow someone to cause an upset. But the big advantage of the major nations is that they have a larger pool of great players. Since the competition will last longer, with an additional knockout match, I think that will still favor nations like France. 

Interview by Aimé Kaniki