With only weeks remaining before the Fifa World Cup kicks off in North America, broadcasters in India and China—home to a combined 2.8 billion people—have yet to secure rights to show the tournament, raising the prospect of the world’s biggest sporting event going dark in two of its most populous countries.
Tournament Overview
The 48-team tournament begins on 11 June with Mexico playing South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the first of 104 matches. Fifa states it has broadcasting agreements in more than 175 territories, but China and India are not among them, nor are Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, or Myanmar.
India’s Stalled Negotiations
In India, a joint venture between Reliance and Disney offered $20 million for the tournament’s TV rights. However, according to Reuters, Fifa initially sought $100 million before reducing its asking price. Sony expressed interest but did not submit a formal proposal.
China’s Standoff
In China, state broadcaster CCTV, which aired the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, has yet to strike a deal. Beijing Daily reported that Fifa initially sought about $300 million for Chinese rights before cutting the price by half, but no agreement was reached.
Viewership and Commercial Impact
China accounted for 17.7 per cent of the global linear TV reach of the 2022 World Cup, with 510 million viewers, while India contributed 2.9 per cent with 84 million. Together, they accounted for nearly half of all hours of the Qatar World Cup viewed on digital and social platforms. Though neither China nor India has a team in the tournament, both countries have large and engaged football audiences. China has not qualified for this edition, and India has never played at a World Cup.
The gap between what Fifa wants and what broadcasters are willing to pay stems from several factors. Most matches in North America will kick off in the middle of the night in China and India, significantly reducing their commercial value. In India, every major broadcaster is saving money to bid for rights to the next Indian Premier League and the Women's T20 Cricket World Cup, both more commercially attractive.
If a deal is not struck, Chinese sponsors of the World Cup will face trouble. Dairy brand Mengniu and TV maker Hisense are together pouring a reported $500 million into the event. Without a broadcast deal in their country, their entire marketing campaigns around the event will be undermined. Fifa’s deal with TikTok will allow users to find streamed clips and short-form content, but that won’t replace the advertising revenue a mainstream broadcast deal generates.
Fifa declined to comment on specifics, saying in a statement that “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.”
