Millions of football fans across the world’s two most populous nations risk being unable to watch next month’s World Cup, as broadcast rights negotiations in India have stalled and no deal has been confirmed in China.
In India, a joint venture between Reliance and Disney has offered $20 million (£15.8m) for the rights to broadcast the 2026 World Cup, a figure FIFA has found unacceptable, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Sony, which operates television channels and a streaming platform in India, also held discussions with FIFA but ultimately chose not to submit a bid, a third source with direct knowledge of the talks confirmed.
FIFA had initially sought $100 million for the combined broadcast rights covering the 2026 and 2030 tournaments. When the 2022 World Cup aired in India, Reliance’s then-standalone media arm secured the rights for approximately $60 million, a deal announced some 14 months before the Qatar tournament, which attracted over 110 million digital viewers across its platforms.
Although FIFA has since significantly reduced its asking price, it has not warmed to the $20 million figure put forward by the Reliance-Disney venture. The joint venture, which has invested billions in cricket broadcast rights, believes World Cup viewership in India will be lower given that the tournament is being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico, meaning most matches will air well past midnight on the subcontinent. One source noted plainly that “football is a niche segment in India,” and that an advertising slowdown linked to the conflict in Iran has further dampened revenue projections.
Sony also concluded that acquiring FIFA’s rights made no commercial sense for the group.
No broadcast agreement has been announced in China either, despite the country accounting for 49.8% of all hours viewed on digital and social platforms globally during the 2022 World Cup. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, which secured rights well ahead of both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments and typically begins airing promotional content weeks before kick-off, did not respond to a request for comment.
China boasts an estimated 200 million football fans, more than any other nation, yet has consistently struggled to develop world-class teams, partly owing to a talent identification system that draws players from a narrow, pre-screened pool.
The 2026 World Cup kicks off on 11 June, leaving barely five weeks for deals to be finalised, broadcast infrastructure to be established and advertising inventory to be sold. During the 2022 tournament, China accounted for 17.7% of global linear television reach, while India accounted for 2.9%. Together, the two countries made up 22.6% of total global digital streaming reach.
FIFA did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Reliance-Disney.
Rohit Potphode, managing partner for sports at advertising agency Dentsu India, offered a measured assessment of where things stand: “Not much time is left, but I won’t call it a stalemate. It’s more like we are at the end of a chess game with a couple of moves left.”
