The ⁠lack of a confirmed broadcast agreement with India or China is unusual at this stage as the tournament kicks off next month. | Photo Credit: AFP

Millions of football fans in the world’s two most populous nations may not be able ‌to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 that starts next month, due to a deadlock over broadcast rights ​in India and no official decision in China.

In India, a Reliance-Disney joint venture has offered USD 20 ⁠million for 2026 World Cup broadcast rights, a fraction of FIFA’s ask, which was not acceptable to football’s global governing body, two sources told Reuters on Monday. Sony held talks but also decided not to make an offer for FIFA rights for India, ‌a third source with direct knowledge said.

There has also been no deal announcement for China, which FIFA says accounted for 49.8% of all hours of viewing on digital and social platforms globally ‌during the 2022 World Cup.

The ⁠lack of a confirmed broadcast agreement with India or China is unusual at this stage.

In past World Cups, including 2018 and 2022, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV secured the rights well in advance and began airing promotional content and sponsor-driven advertisements weeks before the tournament.

CCTV, which has ​extensive reach across television and digital platforms, did ‌not immediately return a request for comment.

China accounted for 17.7% and India 2.9% of the global linear TV reach of the 2022 tournament. The two countries together accounted for 22.6% of total global digital streaming reach for that World Cup.

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The 2026 tournament kicks off on June 11, leaving barely five weeks for a deal ‌to be finalised, broadcast infrastructure to be set up and advertising inventory to be sold.

For India, FIFA initially sought USD 100 million for broadcast rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, the sources said, declining to be named because the talks are private.

When the ⁠World Cup last aired in India in 2022, Reliance’s then-standalone media arm secured the rights for about USD 60 million, which was announced around 14 months before the event in Qatar. The tournament drew over 110 million digital viewers across its ‌platforms.

Reliance and Disney have since formed a joint venture to emerge as a dominant force in India’s media and streaming landscape, and the USD 20 million FIFA offer underscores the negotiating power the Indian group commands.

FIFA had significantly lowered its ask from the USD 100 million earlier, but has not been keen on the USD 20 million figure Reliance offered, one source said.

Reliance-Disney, which has spent billions on cricket broadcast rights, believes the World Cup will have lower viewership in India as the tournament is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and most matches will air past midnight in ‌India, the sources said.

Published on May 04, 2026