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Indian football fans can finally relax. Zee Entertainment announced on Monday that it has obtained the rights to show the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending a long period of uncertainty regarding the availability of the tournament in India. This agreement was made just 10 days before the World Cup begins on June 11 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. India was one of the final significant markets without a broadcaster for football's major event following extended discussions between FIFA and possible rights holders. The deal also includes rights to 38 more FIFA events until 2034, ensuring long-term access to international football for fans in one of the sport's largest markets. The financial terms of the deal were not revealed. However, Reuters previously reported that FIFA originally requested about 100 million US Dollars for the Indian rights package covering the 2026 and 2030 World Cups and later lowered its price to 60 million US Dollars.
India's leading sports broadcaster JioStar, a partnership between Reliance and Disney, which showed the 2022 FIFA World Cup through the previous operator Viacom18, reportedly bid around 20 million US Dollars for the rights. FIFA rejected this offer, according to Reuters. Sony, which aired the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups in India, also discussed the rights package but ultimately did not make a bid. This agreement puts an end to months of uncertainty regarding the tournament's broadcast in India and guarantees that fans will have the chance to watch the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup. The expanded tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico and is anticipated to be the largest event in the competition's history. To enhance its sports offerings, the company also launched four new sports channels: Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD.
Zee stated that these channels have been introduced to provide an exciting viewing experience for sports enthusiasts throughout the country as it gears up to deliver FIFA events to Indian audiences over the next eight years. For Zee, this acquisition is a significant enhancement to its sports lineup and gives the broadcaster the ability to showcase some of the biggest events on the global football schedule. With the World Cup only days away, this deal assures that Indian viewers will not miss football's grandest event.
