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World Cup 2026, streaming revolution: all 104 matches in Italia exclusively on Dazn

For the first time, the 48-team World Cup will be broadcast in full via streaming for subscribers: in Italia Dazn will have exclusive rights to all matches, with Rai co-exclusive on 35 matches

by Andrea Biondi

27 February 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

It will be a World Cup under the banner of streaming. In Italia, all matches of the next World Cup will be broadcast live only on Dazn and therefore visible to those who have subscribed. All 104 matches of the World Cup will be broadcast on the streaming platform, which thus becomes the only full home of the tournament in Italia.

Rai, the historic custodian of national football, is not left high and dry, but will have a co-exclusive on 35 matches. To watch every single minute of what will be the first 48-team World Cup in history, however, fans will have to go through the app. This is a momentous step for the Group, which, after the global agreement for the 2025 Club World Cup, is now securing the most prestigious tournament in one of its key markets.

Italy is not an isolated case. Dazn's strategy is global: in Japan it will broadcast all the matches (with those of the Japanese national team free of charge), while in Spain it will distribute Mediapro's channel dedicated to the event.

The journey will begin on 11 June 2026 with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa. For over a month, the spotlight will be on Canada, Mexico and the United States. The knockout phase will start on 28 June, culminating in the final on Sunday 19 July 2026 at the New York New Jersey Stadium. A football binge that, for the first time, will speak entirely in the language of streaming.

And it has to be said that, after the appetiser of the Fifa Club World Cup 2025, this is undoubtedly a decisive test case for whether the cards are really in order for the centre of gravity of global football to shift more and more towards streaming. The 2026 World Cup becomes, in this sense, also the ultimate laboratory of this transformation.

Also on the table is the relaunch of FIFA+, the international federation's digital platform. The integration on the Dazn platform of FIFA+, the library of football's most iconic moments and complete replays of FIFA matches, as well as live events, is part of the broader partnership between Dazn and Fifa. Not only live broadcasts, therefore, but archive, content, loyalty: an ecosystem that aims to retain the user beyond the ninety minutes.

The words of the protagonists capture the ambition. "To have all the matches of the World Cup only on Dazn, in Italia - underlines Stefano Azzi, CEO of Dazn Italia - represents a historic achievement. The 2026 edition, the first with a record number of 48 participating teams, ushers in an exciting era for world football. We are proud to be able to fully recount this event to the Italian public, while continuing to invest in innovation, editorial quality and premium content".

From the parent company, group CEO Shay Segev adds: "The agreement with Fifa underlines Dazn's increasingly central role as the partner of choice for premium sport globally. We are thrilled that Dazn is the broadcaster of reference for the entire tournament in Italia".

And Fifa reiterates the tournament's inclusive ambition: 'Fifa is fully committed to delivering the most inclusive Fifa World Cup ever, with 104 matches that will showcase the best of world football,' notes Secretary General Mattias Grafström.

Andrea BiondiVicecaposervizio
Luogo: Milano
Lingue parlate: Italiano, Inglese, Francese
Argomenti: Finanza, Media, Telecomunicazioni, Economia dell'entertainment, Innovazione
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