Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Tuesday, 05 May 2026, 13:28 / Updated Tuesday, 05 May 2026 13:30
With just over a month to go before the World Cup kicks off in the United States, Canada and Mexico, FIFA is facing a serious problem. About 3 billion people are at risk of not being able to see the matches of the world's most important competition on TV, due to the misunderstanding of the contractual dates.
The world's two most populous countries, India and China, have yet to sign TV rights deals. If an agreement is not reached in the next period, almost three billion people could be left without the legal possibility to watch World Cup matches on TV. In this case, the only option left would be to turn to online streams.
TV rights for Mondial have not yet been acquired in India and China
Negotiations with India have been stalled for a long time. Television companies in the country of about 1.47 billion people have refused to pay the requested sum of 100 million dollars. Even an offer reduced to 35 million dollars did not convince him, according to sport.aktuality.sk.
“Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, FIFA will suffer a humiliation,” sport.pl journalists noted, suggesting two possible developments: either FIFA will sell the rights at an even lower price than planned, or deprive millions of fans of the opportunity to watch the tournament.
An even bigger problem arose in China. The tournament was originally expected to be broadcast by state-run China Central Television (CCTV). But it refused to pay the amount of 250 to 300 million dollars, which is about double the price for the World Cup in 2022. The station argues that, under these conditions, the broadcast would bring “gigantic losses”.
FIFA risks a big blow if it does not sell the TV rights for the World Cup
The Chinese side cites several reasons why it does not want to pay such a high price. The national team did not qualify for the sixth consecutive time in the final tournament, which reduces the interest of the viewers. In addition, around 70% of the matches will be broadcast at night or early morning due to the time zone difference, which means a smaller audience and weaker advertising revenue.
Although, according to FIFA data, the 2022 World Cup was watched in China by more than 500 million people on TV and a similar number of fans online, these figures are being questioned. The statistics also included viewers who only watched the match for a short time, for example on auto-start broadcasts on social networks.
Chinese authorities feel no pressure from the public. On the contrary, they can present the situation as part of a firmer attitude towards foreign organizations. According to available information, CCTV is willing to pay a maximum of 60 to 80 million dollars to acquire the TV rights.
Failing to secure broadcasts in India and China would be a huge blow to FIFA, not only in terms of prestige but also financially. It would not only be hundreds of millions of dollars for the rights, but also advertising revenue and the satisfaction of sponsors, which include Chinese companies Lenovo and Hisense.
