With a little more than three weeks left before the FIFA World Cup 2026 gets underway, there is much anxiety among Indian football fans surrounding the broadcast of the revered tournament, as it remains the only country with a major popular sport that is yet to finalise a broadcasting deal with FIFA.
However, the uncertainty surrounding viewership of the World Cup in India may soon come to an end, as sources have told NDTV that a broadcast deal with FIFA is nearing its completion.
The relevant parties are currently finalising the negotiations, with the deal likely to fall anywhere between $30-35 million. This is a steep discount to FIFA's reported valuation of $100 million for the sale of broadcasting rights of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the FIFA World Cup.
It has been reported in the past that Indian broadcasters had raised concerns surrounding a potential drop in viewership for the FIFA World Cup 2026, as the matches, which will be hosted in North America, will be broadcast mostly after midnight in India.
This has led to a prolonged impasse between the relevant parties. But it appears FIFA has agreed to a steep discount, as we near the start of the sporting spectacle.
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