The 2026 FIFA World Cup will finally be shown in India as Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited has announced a commercial partnership to broadcast the tournament.
The Zee Group will broadcast the tournament on its four newly launched channels, while ZEE5 will stream the World Cup live online.
The announcement comes less than two weeks before the start of the tournament, with the quadrennial showpiece scheduled to take place between June 11 and July 19 in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.
The World Cup streaming and broadcast rights have become the latest project for the Indian media conglomerate, which previously broadcast the I-League, the top flight of Indian men’s football, and the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League.
Earlier this month, ZEE launched four new sports channels under its United 8 cluster as it entered into talks with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the governing body of football and the upcoming World Cup.
“We are excited to bring one of the world’s biggest sporting spectacles to the Indian audience. Football spans regions and demographics, and the investments in acquiring the media rights and launching dedicated sports channels reflect our clear belief in its long-term potential,” said Punit Goenka, CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.
While no official figure has been publicly quoted for the World Cup broadcast deal, it is reportedly between $30 million and $35 million, which works out to approximately Rs. 320 Cr.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest edition of the tournament, with 48 teams and 104 matches. However, the post-midnight match times initially received mild interest from media conglomerates in India.
As a result, FIFA, which valued broadcasting rights for India at around US$100 million, reduced the asking price to around US$35 million.
The late kick-off and declining interest in football streaming saw Sony – the official broadcaster of the 2014 and 2018 World Cups – withdraw, while Reliance was the owner JioStarwhich showed the last edition of the World Cup, the rights only valued around 20 million dollars.
It is here that ZEE entered the market to finalize the rights.
Published on June 1, 2026
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/peo-quinces-linen-cotton-and-washable-short-sleeve-silk-blouses-tout-9fa390a4fe27474b914dcd3ec51c36e9.jpg?w=238&resize=238,178&ssl=1 "Las blusas lavables de manga corta de lino, algodón y seda de Quince tienen detalles ‘caros’ – desde $36")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/peo-quinces-linen-cotton-and-washable-short-sleeve-silk-blouses-tout-9fa390a4fe27474b914dcd3ec51c36e9.jpg?w=100&resize=100,75&ssl=1 "Las blusas lavables de manga corta de lino, algodón y seda de Quince tienen detalles ‘caros’ – desde $36")
