Broadcast rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in India are in limbo with just weeks to go before the June 11 kick-off.
Published May 26, 2026
India’s Zee Entertainment is in talks with FIFA to stream and broadcast the 2026 World Cup in India, the company said in a statement.
Tuesday’s announcement, with no financial details disclosed, comes weeks before the tournament opens on June 11 and amid deadlocked negotiations between the Reliance-Disney joint venture and the Football Association.
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Reuters reported that FIFA initially sought $100 million in broadcast rights fees for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups to be held in India, but ultimately sought about $60 million more.
The expected amount is still far higher than the $20 million offered by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Disney.
Sony also held talks but decided not to offer FIFA rights to India.
FIFA previously announced that it has agreements with broadcasters in more than 180 territories around the world.
ZeeEntertainment has revealed discussions with FIFA as part of the launch of Unite8 Sports, a dedicated portfolio of sports channels to enhance the sports offering to consumers.
According to figures released by FIFA, India accounted for 2.9% of the global linear TV audience for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and was only behind China in terms of overall engagement, with more than 745 million fans following the action across all media platforms in the country.
In terms of TV viewership, India ranked among the top 10 countries in the World Cup, ahead of Germany, France and England, with an audience of approximately 84 million.
