FOX braced for battle as Netflix, Disney and YouTube want World Cup TV rights
FOX braced for battle as Netflix, Disney and YouTube want World Cup TV rights
Matthew NeschisFri, July 10, 2026 at 12:22 AM UTC
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FOX is set to face fierce competition for the broadcast rights to the 2030 and 2034 World Cups -Credit:Getty Images
FOX will face no shortage of competition for the United States broadcast rights to the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, with several streaming giants said to be interested in landing the deal.
After FIFA executives allegedly considered "rescinding" its $485 million deal with FOX to air the 2026 World Cup, CNBC reported that Netflix, Disney and YouTube are “all interested in challenging Fox” for the U.S. media rights of the next two quadrennial tournaments. CNBC went so far as to suggest that Amazon “could also enter the mix.”
FIFA top brass is expected to engage in talks with interested parties over the next three months. The governing body intends to combine English-language and Spanish-language rights to the World Cups as a single package, with media company executives preparing budgets between $1.5 billion and $2 billion for the U.S. rights.
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Ahead of this year’s tournament, fresh details emerged about how FOX secured the broadcasting rights to the prestigious event at such a reduced cost.
Industry analysts estimate the actual market value at approximately $1-1.5 billion, with former ESPN president John Skipper indicating that the figure could have been substantially higher given soccer's increasing popularity across North America.
In comments to The Athletic's Tariq Panja, Skipper stated bluntly: "FIFA has left hundreds of millions of dollars on the table."
According to sources with firsthand knowledge of the arrangement, FIFA's board chose to grant FOX the rights at a discounted rate in exchange for resolving another issue.
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Media company executives are preparing massive budgets for the U.S. rights to the next two World Cups -Credit:Getty Images
In 2012, FOX obtained the broadcast rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, with the latter ultimately taking place in Qatar. After the decision was made to relocate the 2022 tournament to late fall to circumvent the dangerously hot summers in the Middle East, FOX protested by contending that the rights were no longer valued at the $425 million it had paid years before.
Instead of engaging in a dispute with the network, FIFA's secretary general reportedly told board members "it had been agreed" to expand Fox's contract to encompass the 2026 World Cup.
The move represented a significant departure from standard practice, which involves broadcasting rights being sold through a competitive bidding process.
Due to FIFA's miscalculation, FOX is only paying $485 million, including a bonus tied to the event taking place in the United States.
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Almost a decade after FIFA and FOX's confidential arrangement, the international organization's previous agreements with broadcast rights holders came under scrutiny during a Department of Justice probe into a criminal enterprise spanning dozens of countries.
As the legal proceedings continued, multiple FIFA senior officials reportedly examined whether there was a method to cancel the FOX contract that had created a significant problem years prior.
Panja wrote: "FIFA officials spoke to the organization's outside law firm, Paul Weiss, to discuss options. Contact was made with Fox and its lawyers.
"Fox was adamant the rights had been properly secured and even produced a letter of roughly 10 pages defending its position. Inside FIFA, there was also division over its legal position, and ultimately FIFA did not pursue the case further."
Source: “AOL Money”
