Despite being only weeks away, India still lacks an official broadcaster for the FIFA 26 World Cup. The delay caused by the issue has created panic for millions of people who are avid followers of the game in India but have no idea how they will be able to watch the matches since India has never qualified for the World Cup tournament. The issue became more prominent when Prasar Bharti told the Delhi High Court that getting the broadcast right for the FIFA World Cup 2026 is โnot their responsibility.โ With the World Cup tournament set to start on June 12 in the US, Canada, and Mexico, the viewers of the matches still do not know which channel will broadcast them in India.
The issue reached the Delhi High Court via a petition asking for the order to broadcast selected games on free-to-air channels. But soon enough, the petition was withdrawn while the petitioner requested permission to approach another organization. Till date, both the Indian broadcaster and FIFA have not been able to come up with a deal regarding broadcasting the tournament in India.
Matches To Be Played At Midnight
Timing has emerged as one of the biggest hurdles in finalising the broadcast deal. Since the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico, most matches will take place late at night according to Indian Standard Time. Several games are expected to begin after midnight, while the final on July 20 is likely to start around 12:30 AM IST.
Out of the total 104 matches in the tournament, only 14 are expected to begin before midnight in India. Broadcasters fear that such timings could reduce television ratings and weaken advertising revenue. This concern becomes bigger because sports networks in India already spend heavily on cricket properties, especially the IPL. Industry experts believe late-night scheduling has made companies cautious about investing large sums into football rights.
Indiaโs FIFA Ranking Beyond 135
While the countryโs menโs football team ranks at 136, its womenโs football team ranks at 69, according to the FIFA ranking. The team has never appeared in any FIFA World Cup. However, football in India has been witnessed to attract huge viewership during World Cups. As per reports, the last World Cup hosted by Qatar attracted around 745 million interaction and viewership numbers from India alone. No other country could have a better football viewership except China.
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Also, there has been a good regional appeal for the game of football in Indian states including Kerala, Goa, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Punjab. With time, the fan base for football had grown to extend far away from its conventional places and people now follow football leagues and tournaments played all over Europe with active engagement on their streaming platforms.
Why Has No Broadcaster Secured FIFA World Cup 2026 Rights In India?
The reason why this has happened seems to have a lot to do with the prices set by FIFA and the broadcasters of India. It has been stated in reports filed in court that FIFA estimated the rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups to be worth around USD 100 million. Due to lack of interest, the price was subsequently lowered to around USD 35 million. The broadcasters are still not willing.
A USD 20 million offer by JioStar has also been turned down by FIFA. It appears that FIFA is continuing talks and nothing conclusive has been decided as yet. This is due to the fact that the price seems too steep considering that the matches can only be watched at odd times. This may cause problems for India despite being one of the largest markets for FIFA in the world.
