China secures World Cup broadcast deal weeks before kickoff

BEIJING: China’s state broadcaster CCTV said on Friday it has obtained the rights to show this year’s FIFA World Cup as well as the 2030 edition, bringing an end to weeks of uncertainty for football fans in the country ahead of the tournament.

With less than a month left before the competition begins, many supporters in China had been waiting for confirmation of how they would be able to watch the matches. The 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is set to start on June 11 with South Africa playing Mexico.

In a statement, CCTV said, "The partnership covers the 2026 World Cup, the 2030 World Cup, the 2027 Women's World Cup and the 2031 Women's World Cup, adding that the arrangement was signed between FIFA and China Media Group (CMG), the broadcaster’s parent company. The broadcaster said the agreement includes rights across television, internet and mobile platforms. CCTV did not disclose the financial terms of the deal or explain why the agreement was finalised so close to the start of the tournament. The upcoming men’s World Cup will be the largest in the competition’s history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches. Although China has not qualified for the tournament, interest remains high in the country of around 1.4 billion people. According to FIFA, China accounted for 49.8 percent of all hours viewed on digital and social media platforms worldwide during the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Discussion over the cost of the rights had been circulating on Chinese social media for weeks. Users had criticised a rumoured fee of as much as $150 million, while reactions to a reported $60 million figure were mixed. One social media user wrote: These negotiations are really satisfactory, not only getting World Cup broadcast rights but getting two at once, while another comment that drew significant attention said: Isn't it better to give this money to the people."

Chinese outlet The Paper reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the agreement was worth $60 million.

Before CCTV announced the deal, FIFA had said in response to a question from AFP that it had already reached agreements with broadcasters in more than 175 countries. FIFA is expected to generate a record $11 billion in revenue from the 2026 World Cup.

Chinese financial publication 21st Century Business Herald reported that it had received an invitation to a CMG launch event scheduled for Sunday, where further details on coverage plans and distribution arrangements are expected to be announced.

For viewers in Beijing and Shanghai, both the opening match and the final are due to begin at 3:00 am local time.