World Cup broadcast talks remain unresolved in India and China

BEIJING: Broadcast arrangements for the 2026 FIFA World Cup remain unsettled in India and China, raising the possibility that millions of viewers in the world’s two most populous countries may be unable to watch the tournament when it begins next month.

According to Reuters, a joint venture between Reliance and Disney in India has offered $20 million for the rights to air the 2026 World Cup, but that figure was well below FIFA’s asking price and was not accepted by football’s world governing body. Two sources told Reuters about the offer.

A third source with direct knowledge told Reuters that Sony also held discussions over the India rights but ultimately chose not to submit a bid.

FIFA said it has already completed media rights agreements with broadcasters in more than 175 territories around the world. However, the organisation said negotiations concerning India and China were still continuing.

"Discussions in China and India regarding the sale of media rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 are ongoing and must remain confidential at this stage," FIFA said in a statement to Reuters.

Neither Reliance-Disney nor Sony responded to requests for comment, according to Reuters. China’s state broadcaster CCTV also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The absence of confirmed deals in India and China is unusual at this point in the run-up to a World Cup. In previous editions of the tournament, including in 2018 and 2022, CCTV had secured the Chinese rights well before the event and had already started running promotional material and sponsor-backed advertising in the weeks leading up to kickoff.

FIFA data cited in the report underlined the importance of both markets to the tournament’s audience reach. During the 2022 World Cup, China accounted for 49.8pc of all viewing hours on digital and social media platforms worldwide, FIFA said. On linear television, China represented 17.7pc of the global reach, while India accounted for 2.9pc.

Together, India and China made up 22.6pc of the total global digital streaming reach for the 2022 World Cup.

The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to start on June 11, leaving less than five weeks for any agreement to be completed, technical broadcast arrangements to be put in place and advertising slots to be marketed.

Rights uncertainty in key markets

The unresolved negotiations in India and China come despite the scale of the audience in both countries and their significance for FIFA’s global media strategy. With the tournament now close, the delay has created uncertainty over how viewers in the two markets will access the competition if agreements are not finalised soon.

FIFA has not announced any final decision for China, while in India the current gap between the reported offer and FIFA’s expectations remains a key obstacle to a deal.