• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, January 27, 2010

The near-forgotten ESPN Classic network may gain some viewership during this summer's World Cup, as ESPN will air re-runs of all 64 games on the channel.

The matches will be replayed between 6 p.m. and midnight each day after the match.

The announcement came as ESPN unveiled some preliminary scheduling for its multiplatform coverage of the event starting June 11. The primary ESPN network will air 44 matches from South Africa, with 10 on ABC, including the championship match. The remainder will be on ESPN2.

The memorable overtime final four years ago -- largely because France's Zinedine Zidane was ejected for head-butting an Italian -- was also on ABC.

All 64 matches will be live and in HD, ESPN said.

The matches broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2 will be simulcast on broadband hub ESPN360.com, while 46 matches will be available on mobile devices for some Sprint, AT&T and Verizon customers.

Some games are also expected to be broadcast on English-language radio stations, though ESPN offered no details Wednesday. Some Major League Soccer teams' games are carried on radio, but the sport is rarely offered in the medium in English.

ESPN has been running a slew of promotions for the Cup already, using music from U2 in on-air promos.