2026 FIFA World Cup broadcast crisis: India’s Reliance offers $20 million, deal with China unannounced

Millions of football fans in the world’s two most populous countries may not be able to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which starts next month, due to a standoff over broadcast rights in India and no official decision in China.

In India, a joint venture between Reliance and Disney has offered $20 million for the 2026 World Cup broadcast rights, a fraction of FIFA’s demand, which was not acceptable to football’s global governing body, two sources said. Reuters on Monday. Sony held talks but also decided not to bid for FIFA rights for India, a third source with direct knowledge said.

No deal has also been announced for China, which FIFA said accounted for 49.8% of all viewing hours on digital and social platforms worldwide during the 2022 World Cup.

The lack of a confirmed broadcast deal with India or China is unusual at this stage.

At previous World Cups, including 2018 and 2022, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV secured the rights well in advance and began airing promotional content and sponsor-driven ads weeks before the tournament.

CCTV, which has extensive reach on television and digital platforms, did not immediately return a request for comment.

China accounted for 17.7% and India 2.9% of the 2022 tournament’s global linear TV reach. The two countries together accounted for 22.6% of the total global digital streaming reach for that World Cup.

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The 2026 tournament kicks off on June 11, leaving just five weeks to finalize a deal, set up broadcast infrastructure and sell advertising inventory.

For India, FIFA initially demanded $100 million for broadcast rights to the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, the sources said, but declined to be named because the talks are private.

When the World Cup was last televised in India in 2022, Reliance’s then independent media arm secured the rights for around $60 million, which was announced about 14 months before the Qatar event. The tournament attracted more than 110 million digital viewers across its platforms.

Reliance and Disney have since formed a joint venture to become a dominant force in the Indian media and streaming landscape, and FIFA’s $20 million offer underlines the bargaining power the Indian group has.

FIFA had significantly reduced its demand from $100 million earlier but was not keen on the $20 million figure offered by Reliance, a source said.

Reliance-Disney, which has spent billions on cricket broadcast rights, believes the World Cup will attract fewer viewers in India as the tournament is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and most matches will be telecast in India after midnight, the sources said.

Published on May 4, 2026