India, China Football Fans Face World Cup Blackout as Broadcast Deals Lag
Millions of football supporters across India and China face a potential blackout of the upcoming 2026 World Cup, with broadcast rights agreements yet to be finalised between FIFA and local media outlets. This eleventh-hour situation is highly irregular for an event of global scale, where such deals are typically concluded months, if not years, in advance.
Local media reports from both nations indicate that FIFA and prospective broadcasters are at an impasse regarding the commercial terms for screening the matches. While FIFA confirmed that discussions in China and India “are ongoing and must remain confidential,” the organisation declined to elaborate on the specific financial demands.
Despite 180 territories having secured agreements with FIFA, a few significant markets, including India and China – which collectively represent approximately one-third of the global population – are still without confirmed broadcast partners.
China’s Broadcast Impasse
In China, FIFA’s initial offer to state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) for the tournament rights was reportedly as high as $300 million. Although this figure has since been reduced to between $120 million and $150 million, according to the state-controlled Beijing Daily, it still reportedly exceeds CCTV’s allocated budget by more than double. The newspaper cited China's failure to qualify for the tournament and unfavourable time differences with North America as factors diminishing domestic interest and thus the perceived value of the rights.
For previous World Cups, broadcast deals with China were concluded far earlier. In November 2017, FIFA announced an exclusive agreement with CCTV for both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
India’s Pending Agreement
Meanwhile, in India, an agreement with a broadcaster is also pending. However, local media this week reported that a deal is anticipated to be announced in the near future.
