Why has FIFA not signed a World Cup broadcast deal in India?

Author: Yashraj Sharma\
Published on: 19/05/2026 | 00:00:00

AI Summary:\
Lionel Messi fan Vishwas Banerjee celebrated Albiceleste's triumph with abandon in Bangalore, a football-crazy city in southeastern India. In television viewing numbers, India was among the top 10 countries – ahead of Germany, France and England – with nearly 84 million viewers. Reliance’s JioCinema paid $60m for tournament rights in 2022. Sony Sports secured broadcasting rights for 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups. FIFA is still struggling to find buyers in one of its biggest markets. Cricket leads sports economy market in India. A small fraction of people who watch the Indian Premier League will watch the FIFA World Cup. The World Cup begins 10 days after cricket’s IPL 2026 final. FIFA appears increasingly concerned that weak broadcaster interest in India could dent both revenues and its long-term ambition to grow football in one of the world’s largest media markets. In New Delhi, the high court is hearing a plea on the lack of a tournament broadcast deal and has sought responses from India’s information and broadcasting ministry and Doordarshan.


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