FIFA World Cup Broadcast Uncertainty Leaves Fans In India & China At Risk Of Missing Tournament

Last Updated:May 04, 2026, 21:36 IST

FIFA World Cup 2026 faces broadcast uncertainty in India and China as rights talks with Reliance, Disney and Chinese partners stall just weeks before kick off.

Millions of football fans in India and China are still at a loss over the FIFA World Cup broadcast in their nations, with the massive populations risking a no-show of the tournament, which starts in just over a month, due to broadcast rights remaining unresolved.

In India, a joint venture between Reliance and Disney tabled a $20 million offer for the 2026 FIFA World Cup broadcast rights, according to reports.

This amount, just a fraction of FIFA’s expectations, was considered unacceptable by the global governing body, as per two sources who spoke to Reuters on Monday. Sony held discussions but chose not to submit a bid for the Indian rights as well, a third source with direct knowledge confirmed.

Meanwhile, China is yet to announce a broadcast deal, despite FIFA data showing the nation contributed a staggering 49.8% of total digital and social media viewing hours during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The lack of confirmed broadcast deals in major markets like India and China at this stage is unusual.

For previous tournaments, including the 2018 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television had bagged the rights well in advance, launching promotional campaigns and sponsor advertisements weeks before kick-off.

In 2022, China alone accounted for 17.7% of the global linear TV audience for the tournament, while India contributed 2.9%. Together, the two countries made up 22.6% of the total global digital streaming reach for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup all set to kick off on June 11, barely five weeks remain to finalise deals, put broadcast infrastructure in place and sell advertising inventory.

As per reports, FIFA had sought $100 million for the broadcast rights to the 2026 and the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

When the 2022 FIFA World Cup was last broadcast in India, Reliance Industries’ then standalone media arm bagged the rights for around $60 million, with the deal announced roughly 14 months before the Qatar event.

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