In its latest announcement regarding the television broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA stated: "FIFA has signed agreements with broadcasters in 180 countries and territories worldwide ahead of the biggest World Cup ever. Discussions in India regarding the 2026 World Cup broadcasting rights are ongoing and need to be kept confidential at this stage."
Previously in China, negotiations for broadcasting rights between FIFA and China's state-run television station (CCTV) stalled due to FIFA's exorbitant asking price. "FIFA's initial asking price was $300 million, later reduced to $120 million, but still significantly higher than CCTV's offer of just $80 million," according to SCMP Sport .
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
PHOTO: REUTERS
According to Reuters: "China and India are the two most populous countries in the world, with a combined market of over 3 billion people, accounting for more than one-third of the world's population. Together, India and China accounted for over 22% of global World Cup viewership. China even reached 50% of all online World Cup viewing hours in 2022 in Qatar. Therefore, if these two countries do not own the broadcasting rights, FIFA will be severely impacted."
In Southeast Asia, most countries own broadcasting rights, with Vietnam having secured them early on, broadcasting all 104 matches of the 2026 World Cup on VTV channels. Malaysia has also recently officially acquired the rights, along with Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. However, negotiations are still ongoing for Thailand. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has pledged that Thai citizens will be able to watch the 2026 World Cup, as the government is coordinating with regulatory agencies and the private sector to secure the broadcasting rights. Despite this, initial reports on May 12th indicated that the Thai government had not yet approved the budget for negotiating the purchase of the 2026 World Cup broadcasting rights. According to Thai Rath , the estimated cost for Thailand to purchase the rights from FIFA is 1.3 billion baht (approximately 40 million USD). This development has left Thai fans in suspense, unsure whether they will get to watch the 2026 World Cup.
The situation is similar in China, SCMP Sport added, noting that FIFA executives, including Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom and Jean-Christophe Petit (Director of Media Rights), flew to Beijing this week to discuss with CCTV the purchase of the 2026 World Cup broadcasting rights. It is likely that FIFA will offer a 50% discount to China to secure the World Cup rights, but with the condition that the country must purchase the television package for both the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, according to SCMP Sport .
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hon-3-ti-nguoi-khong-duoc-xem-world-cup-2026-185260513164904385.htm
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