India, the most populated country in the world, with a population exceeding 1.47 billion people, has finally secured broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, just 10 days before the competition kicks off on June 11 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA has sealed a deal with India’s Zee Entertainment to broadcast the competition in the country, ending a months-long standoff over the tournament’s availability in one of the last major markets where rights remained unsold, reports Reuters.
Financial terms were not disclosed. FIFA had initially sought about $100 million for the India package covering the 2026 and 2030 World Cups before slashing its asking price to $60 million, Reuters previously reported.
The deal gives Zee a toehold in India’s sports broadcast market, where Reliance-Disney joint venture JioStar holds rights ranging from the Indian Premier League cricket tournament to the English Premier League. This current deal covers 39 FIFA events over eight years through 2034, also including the Women’s World Cup in 2027, according to a joint statement from FIFA and Zee.
Time zone differences
In mid-May, China Media Group (CMG) secured the broadcasting rights in mainland China of all matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and 2030 as well as the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 and 2031. China has the world’s largest soccer fan base with roughly 200 million people following the game.
These two deals cover the world’s two largest populations – combining with China, the total population is about 2.88 billion people.
The 2022 World Cup, which was hosted in Qatar, was in time zones far more favourable for Indian and Chinese audiences. Most of this year’s matches will be screened late at night in India due to the time difference, something that dampened broadcaster appetite and complicated FIFA’s sales efforts.
