FIFA is close to finalising its Indian broadcast partner for the upcoming World Cup, bringing an end to months of uncertainty over where fans in the country will be able to watch the tournament.

Who are the broadcasters in the race for FIFA World Cup media rights

According to sources, FIFA has recently held discussions with two broadcasters in India, JioHotstar and Zee Network, which is looking to return to sports broadcasting. Jio, which aired the 2022 World Cup, is believed to have maintained its valuation of around $20 million. Zee, although a later entrant, has now emerged as a strong contender after Sony and FanCode decided not to take part in the bidding.

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FIFA reduced price for India's FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights

FIFA had earlier expected nearly $100 million for combined rights to the 2026 and 2030 World Cups. However, due to limited interest from broadcasters, the price has now been reduced to around $35 million. The final deal is expected to fall in this range and will likely include both the 2026 and 2030 men’s tournaments.

An official announcement is expected next week once the agreement is signed.

India remains the only major market where FIFA has not yet finalised broadcast rights. Recently, FIFA also signed a deal with CCTV to broadcast its events in mainland China, covering both men’s and women’s World Cups in the coming years.

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Why Indian broadcasters not showing interest in FIFA World Cup 2026?

One of the key challenges in India is the match timing. Out of 104 games across the USA, Canada, and Mexico, around 90% will be played late at night or early morning Indian time (between midnight and 6 am). This makes it harder to attract advertisers, especially since India is not part of the tournament.

For comparison, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, won by Lionel Messi’s Argentina, was reportedly sold for around ₹480 crore (about $60 million). However, broadcasters struggled to recover even half of that cost through advertising, which has made FIFA’s earlier pricing unrealistic for the Indian market.