The 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will start on June 11. (AP)
New Delhi: What do India, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka have in common? With less than two months to go, none of them have an official broadcaster to televise the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is set to begin on June 11.The upcoming extravaganza will feature 48 countries and 104 matches, and will be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The biggest sporting event in the world will move billions, including those who haven’t watched any football in the intervening four years.
India and China, the two most populous countries, however, could lose out entirely if things don’t change quickly.FIFA began the process of selling media rights for the next two FIFA Men’s World Cups in India in July 2025 and the 2027 FIFA Women’s Cup. The initial price of $100 million was reportedly reduced to $35 million, yet no buyer emerged.Viacom18, now part of the JioStar fold, has paid $62 million for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In 2013, Sony Sports spent $90 million on the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, the 2016 Euros, the 2017 Under-17 World Cup and the Confederations Cup in the same year.The merger of Star India and Viacom18 has been cited as a reason for fewer players in the market. Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI), which holds the rights to the Euros, UEFA Champions League and several other football competitions, has stayed away. A stronger dollar against the Indian rupee has been another reason for the cautious outlook.
File photo of the FIFA World Cup trophy. (ANI)
Of course, the biggest reason is the timing of the matches. The opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City will start at 12:30 PM. In the upcoming World Cup, only 14 of the total 104 matches will start before midnight in India. Even the final, which will be played at the New Jersey Stadium on July 19, will start at 12:30 p.m. 44 out of 64 matches in 2022 (Qatar) started before midnight and 63 out of 64 in 2018 (Russia).“Times are strange, America’s times will be tough for India. When we [Ten Sports] West Indies had cricket rights, people watched highlights more than watching live matches,” said Neeraj Jha, head of sports business for India and South Asia at Warner Bros. discoveryTimings of matches make a big difference. Unlike cricket, advertising inventory is limited in football due to fewer stoppages. Although FIFA has created slots for broadcasters with a three-minute hydration break in both halves. In India, where sports broadcasting relies heavily on advertising, not subscriptions, this is an added opportunity.Viewers in the UK have the World Cup as free-to-air options on BBC and ITV, but this is part of their tax structure. In the US, the World Cup broadcast on Fox One will cost at least $19.99. In comparison, the 2022 World Cup in India was telecast for free on JioCinema and Rs 12 on Sports18 HD. Not surprisingly, linear TV viewers moved to digital, and ad revenue followed.
The main reason for the shortage is cricket. It’s a function of how brands want to spend. Brands want to spend where the eyeballs are, and the eyeballs are on cricket right now.
Rohit Potfood
“India is a low ARPU (average revenue per user) market for sports, gaming and any niche with pre-subscription. The decline is largely due to the dominance of cricket. It’s a function of how brands want to spend. Brands want to spend where the eyeballs are, and the eyeballs are currently on cricket,” said Rohit Potfod, Managing Partner – Sports, Gaming, eSports and Live Experience Dentsu India.“Kickoff times are a big hurdle, especially when it comes to audiences. Purists and crazies still log in, but not everyone.“Also, the (Lionel) Messi – (Cristiano) Ronaldo era seems a bit faded. In India, the AIFF is deeply confused. So, it’s affecting the commercial side of things, not the audience side. So it’s multiple reasons from the consumer or the trade side,” he explained.Reduction in non-cricket expenditure
An artisan paints a clay model of the FIFA World Cup trophy in his workshop ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Kolkata. (PTI photo)
Was there writing on the wall? WPP Media’s India Sports Sponsorship Report 2025 stated that the sports industry had doubled from 2021 to 2025, but the value of the non-cricket market was only 11%.It doesn’t help that the upcoming FIFA World Cup comes less than two weeks after the end of the IPL. By this time, many brands end their advertising spend on sports.The English Premier League rights were sold for $145 million for three seasons between 2013 and 2016. The latest rights, for 2025-28, however, were sold for $65 million, a 55.17 percent reduction. La Liga’s broadcast rights have bounced around a number of services before landing on Dream11-owned Fancode.
Argentina football team fans before the FIFA World Cup 2022 final match between Argentina and France in Kolkata. (PTI photo)
All said and done, is India’s absence a major setback for FIFA? In 2024, FIFA budgeted $3.9 billion as revenue from broadcasting rights for the 2026 edition. If there is a rate of $35 million for the region, it is less than one percent of the total treasury.The impact, though, is on the long-term outlook, reach, and visibility of the product. “They are. [FIFA] Not looking at just this year, next year or the year after that; They are looking at a 10-year horizon,” said Rohit Potfod.“There may be a possible loss of funds or revenue in the short term. But this is not impacting the bottom line. They are in green. Don’t worry about money. It’s about staying strong and making it through the next 10 years rather than just looking at the next few years,” he continued.What next?i
File photo of a broadcast television camera during the Championship match between Bristol City and Watford. (Getty Images)
Potfod explained that FIFA has no intention of short-selling its properties and is “absolutely fine” as far as commercial ambitions are concerned.“They already have FIFA+ as a direct-to-consumer platform, so worst case scenario, they’ll go there. But they are very clear that they don’t want to dilute the value or the equity they have built in the market over the last two years,” explained Dentsu’s Potphode, the organization that has the comprehensive media rights mandate for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Last Friday was the final bid or offer deadline, but an extension is not out of the realm of possibility. However, with the tournament changing weeks before, any potential broadcaster needs time to finalize the deal and build assets for marketing. After a week nothing marketing will make sense.An industry insider believes that JioStar is the top contender to pick up the rights and is waiting until the last moment when the price is right. “They have good distribution, and a lot of money can come from that route. They also have a strong streaming business, so it makes business sense for them,” explained an industry veteran.
India is yet to get a broadcaster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Image generated by AI)
A last-ditch Hail Mary involves Doordarshan, the public broadcaster, which broadcast the 1998 World Cup played in France.For this to happen, a primary broadcaster needs to step in to share the rights. It is also unclear how an entire FIFA World Cup, excluding India, would constitute a sporting event of national importance, as required under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharti) Act. At best, the semi-finals and finals can be shared.As things stand, India has no official broadcaster to show the planet’s biggest spectacle. But it’s not all gloom. This can change very quickly.
