No Broadcast Deal Yet for 2026 World Cup in India and China
Al Jazeera
FIFA has not yet finalized broadcast rights agreements for the 2026 World Cup in India and China, the world's two most populous nations. This puts the ability of hundreds of millions of fans to watch the tournament in doubt, just weeks before kickoff.
FIFA has confirmed that negotiations over media rights in China and India are ongoing and must remain confidential at this stage. This means millions of football fans in the two most populous countries may be unable to watch the FIFA World Cup 2026, which starts in June.
While FIFA has signed agreements with broadcasters in at least 175 territories worldwide, no official announcement has been made regarding rights deals in China and India. This is unusual compared to previous World Cups.
During the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV secured rights early and began airing promotional content and sponsor ads weeks before the event.
FIFA noted that China accounted for 49.8% of total viewing hours on global digital and social media platforms during the 2022 World Cup. However, with just over five weeks before the 2026 World Cup kicks off on June 11, nothing has been finalized — including broadcast infrastructure and advertising sales.
The lack of confirmed broadcast deals with India or China at this stage is highly unusual. FIFA says discussions continue but have yet to yield concrete results.
