No FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcast in India? Deal still unresolved with one month to go

The FIFA World Cup 2026 will kick off on 11th June 2026.

The biggest festival of football is just around the corner, with the FIFA World Cup 2026 set to kick off on 11th June 2026. This year, the FIFA World Cup is set to be the biggest and most exciting edition of the tournament to date as 48 teams from around the globe will compete in a total of 104 fixtures.

There are a total of 16 venues selected to host the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be jointly held across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

However, the tournament has hit a major setback regarding its broadcasting rights in India, with FIFA and broadcasters in India are yet to reach an agreement. The situation comes as a significant setback considering the massive fan following for world football in the country and the potential market India is for FIFA. Financial concerns remain at the centre of the discussions, with several factors reportedly complicating the negotiations.

FIFA also released a statement in this regard recently stating.

“FIFA has concluded agreements with broadcasters in 180 territories around the world, ahead of the biggest ever FIFA World Cup. Discussions in India regarding sale of media rights for FIFA World Cup 2026 are ongoing and must remain confidential at this stage.”

On FIFA World Cup 2026 media rights in India: @KhelNowFIFA is seeking around $50-60 million based on the previous deal with JioSports18 in 2022, but many in the industry feel Jio heavily overpaid for multiple properties during that phase.Major broadcaster has made an offer…

— Ashish Negi (@7negiashish) May 12, 2026

What’s going on?

With just a month to go before the FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA is yet to finalise a broadcasting deal in India.

This is due to several factors involving finances and the declining commercial value of football in India. FIFA is seeking a deal worth around $50-60 million, based on the agreement it previously had with Jio Sports18 for the FIFA World Cup 2022. However, there is a strong feeling within the broadcasting industry in India that Jio heavily overpaid for multiple properties during that phase.

Currently, some major broadcasters have made offers in the $20-25 million range, with many industry experts believing that it is now too late to recover significant money through ad sales. Distribution revenue is being seen as the only realistic way for broadcasters to recover their investment.

Also, The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and Prasar Bharti on a plea seeking the broadcast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India. The case will be heard next week.

Reasons for the hesitance

There is a sense of hesitance among the broadcasters in India regarding the FIFA World Cup 2026. The main reasons?

The biggest reason might be the timing of the tournament that it will have in India due to the tournament being held in North America. With matches scheduled to be played from 12:30 am to 7:30 am according to Indian Standard Time (IST).

This decreases the commercial value of the advertising revenue, which will be affected majorly due to the timings as these are not prime time hours. For broadcasters in India the FIFA World Cup 2026 is obviously a high-level event but there is a hesitance whether the event can deliver big in India keeping in mind various factors. Another reason is that it’s now perhaps too late to recover any money through ad sales with just a month to go. Distribution revenue is seen as the only realistic recovery path, estimated around $20 million.

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