Millions of fans in the world’s two most populous countries risk missing next month’s World Cup as broadcast rights talks stall in India and remain unresolved in China.
In India, a Reliance-Disney joint venture has reportedly offered about $20 million for 2026 World Cup broadcast rights, far below FIFA’s valuation and deemed unacceptable by football’s global governing body, according to two sources cited by Reuters on Monday.
Sony also held discussions but ultimately chose not to submit a bid for FIFA rights in India, a third source with direct knowledge said.
In China, no broadcast agreement has yet been announced. FIFA said the country accounted for 49.8% of global viewing hours across digital and social platforms during the 2022 World Cup.
Despite the impasse in these key markets, FIFA said it has secured broadcast agreements in more than 175 territories worldwide, according to a statement to Reuters.
"Discussions in China and India regarding the sale of media rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 are ongoing and must remain confidential at this stage,” the statement said.
Reliance-Disney, a joint venture led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, did not respond to requests for comment, and neither did Sony.
The lack of confirmed broadcast agreements in India and China is unusual at this stage.
In past World Cups, including 2018 and 2022, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV secured rights well in advance and began airing promotional content and sponsor-driven advertisements weeks before the tournament.
CCTV, which has extensive reach across television and digital platforms, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China accounted for 17.7% of global linear TV reach and India 2.9% during the 2022 tournament. Together, the two markets represented 22.6% of total global digital streaming reach for that World Cup.
The 2026 tournament kicks off on June 11, leaving barely five weeks for a deal to be finalized, broadcast infrastructure to be set up, and advertising inventory to be sold.
Huge football following in India, China
For India, FIFA initially sought $100 million for broadcast rights to the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, the sources said, declining to be named because the talks are private.
When the World Cup last aired in India in 2022, Reliance’s then-standalone media arm secured the rights for about $60 million, announced around 14 months before the tournament in Qatar.
A FIFA source told Reuters the governing body is seeking a similar amount for this edition.
Reliance and Disney, which have formed a joint venture to strengthen their position in India’s media and streaming market, have argued that the World Cup may draw lower viewership in India because matches will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with many airing after midnight local time, the sources said.
China has about 200 million football fans, more than any other country, but has struggled to build a consistently competitive national team, which critics partly attribute to a tightly controlled talent pipeline.
The second source said football does not command the same commercial value in India as cricket, and a broader advertising slowdown has further weakened revenue expectations.
"Football is a niche segment in India,” the source said.
Sony, which operates television channels and a streaming platform in India, also opted not to pursue FIFA rights, saying the economics did not add up, according to the third industry source.
"Not much time is left, but I won’t call it a stalemate. It’s more like we are at the end of a chess game with a couple of moves left,” said Rohit Potphode, managing partner for sports at advertising agency Dentsu India.