Zee Entertainment has secured the broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in India, ending months of uncertainty about where football fans in the country would be able to watch the prestigious event.

The company announced on Monday that its deal with FIFA also includes the rights to 38 other FIFA events through 2034. Financial details of the agreement have not been made public.

FIFA sought around $100 million for the India rights package

According to earlier reports by Reuters, FIFA initially sought around $100 million for the India rights package covering the 2026 and 2030 World Cups. However, the governing body later reduced its asking price to about $60 million as negotiations continued.

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The agreement comes less than two weeks before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will start from June 11 and be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

FIFA Rejected JioStar's Bid

India’s biggest sports broadcaster, the Reliance-Disney joint venture JioStar, was also in the race for the rights. Reuters had reported that JioStar, which broadcast the 2022 FIFA World Cup through Viacom18, offered around $20 million. However, FIFA did not accept the bid.

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Sony, which previously held the rights for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups in India, also held discussions with FIFA but ultimately chose not to submit a bid.

Why did FIFA reduce the asking price to about $60 million?

The broadcasters were not interested in buying the FIFA World Cup rights because 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.


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