FIFA yet to secure China, India broadcast deals for 2026 World Cup amid time-zone hurdles

FIFA is still haggling with broadcasters in China and India over media rights for the 2026 World Cup, raising uncertainty for viewers in the world’s two most populous nations, according to a Reuters report. The governing body said it has secured broadcast arrangements in more than 175 territories, but China and India remain among the notable gaps with the tournament less than two years away.

The unresolved talks surfaced as FIFA president Gianni Infantino delivered lighthearted remarks at a conference in Beverly Hills last week, describing FIFA as the “official happiness provider to humanity since 1904” and calling the World Cup ball a “magic tool that transforms people into happy people.” The session ended without questions on the rights situation, which Reuters had reported the day before.

At the time of that report, rights in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand and Myanmar were also outstanding. FIFA has subsequently inked a deal for Bangladesh with an outlet called Springbok, although there have been no official announcements by Springbok and it does not appear to have a website or social media presence.

That agreement took FIFA’s World Cup watch-party arrangements to 180 of its 211 member associations. A deal with a pan-Caribbean streamer appears likely, which would allow fans in Curaçao and Haiti to watch their teams. Taken together, those arrangements would give another 200 million or so people legal access to the tournament.

Asia’s time zones are a central factor. This summer’s World Cup will be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico, placing most kickoffs in the North American evenings. India is nine and a half hours ahead of New York and China is 12 hours ahead, meaning many matches will fall overnight for India and early morning for China.

That is a tougher proposition than the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which is two and a half hours ahead of India and five hours ahead of China. In 2022, India’s Viacom18 paid $60 million for rights and streamed matches for free on its JioCinema platform. For 2026, negotiations in China and India are continuing, with FIFA working to close remaining gaps in Asia and the Caribbean before the tournament.