The 5-billion-pound game being played out on TV
From traditional broadcasters to streaming, the tournament is testing the new media ecosystem
There were certainly a few things that didn’t go quite to plan. In India, for example, the last-minute deal with Zee at the start of the month brought in less than expected: $60 million, compared to the $100 million anticipated for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups. In China too, another major market yet to be conquered, the deal with China Media Group, struck less than a month before the tournament kicked off, had a significant impact on the final sum.
In any case, the $5 billion in TV rights revenue for the upcoming World Cup – generated by FIFA through sales in 216 territories – is now the highest figure ever recorded and more than 40% higher than for Qatar 2022, thanks to the expanded format and the increased number of matches.
In fact, the biggest media experiment ever attempted by FIFA kicks off today. Because the tournament, which will be played across the United States, Canada and Mexico, is not just the first to feature 48 teams. Above all, it is the World Cup that is set to prove that football remains the most powerful content in the global audiovisual industry. And all this is happening in the US, which represents the world’s largest advertising market and, at the same time, an extraordinary opportunity for expansion for a sport which, although growing, has not yet reached the status of American football, basketball or baseball.
All this whilst bearing in mind that football must now appeal to a different audience from the one that made it rich. Young people who spend hours on TikTok, YouTube, Twitch or Instagram no longer see watching football on TV as a collective ritual. FIFA is well aware of this. And the deals struck with YouTube and TikTok are a litmus test of this.
Alongside this, the 2026 World Cup has made it clear that, although traditional broadcasters remain the main buyers of the tournament’s rights, some streaming platforms have stepped up their investment. Among these is DAZN, for example, which will broadcast the competition in three major markets: Japan, Italia and Spain.
