India’s Zee Entertainment signs World Cup 2026 broadcast deal with FIFA | World Cup 2026 News
FIFA Strikes Broadcasting Deal with Zee Entertainment for World Cups
Published on June 2, 2026
FIFA has finalized an agreement with Zee Entertainment to broadcast the 2026 and 2030 World Cups in India, marking a significant development in the tournament’s media availability within a major market where rights had remained unsold.
The financial specifics of the deal, which was signed Monday, were not disclosed. Sources indicate FIFA initially sought around $100 million for the broadcasting rights but later reduced its asking price to approximately $60 million.
This agreement provides Zee Entertainment with a foothold in India’s competitive sports broadcasting landscape, where the Reliance-Disney joint venture, JioStar, currently holds rights to numerous sports, including the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament and the English Premier League football.
The contract encompasses 39 FIFA events over an eight-year period, extending through 2034, and includes the 2027 Women’s World Cup, according to a joint statement from FIFA and Zee.
Following the announcement, shares of Zee rose nearly 7 percent.
This deal comes just nine days before the World Cup kicks off on June 11 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Experts highlighted concerns for Indian broadcasters regarding the kickoff times for the majority of matches, which are scheduled for hours that may be inconvenient for Indian audiences due to the 10-12 hour time difference with the host cities. Only 14 out of the World Cup’s 104 matches are set to begin before midnight in India.
The final match is scheduled for July 19 in New Jersey, starting at 7:00 PM GMT, translating to 12:30 AM on July 20 in India. This contrasts with the 2018 World Cup, where 98.4 percent of matches began before midnight for Indian viewers, and 82.5 percent during the following tournament in Qatar.
Karan Taurani, executive vice president at investment firm Elara Capital, described the television medium in India as “struggling,” attributing this to the dominance of digital platforms in monetizing sporting events. He noted that cricket remains the leading market force in Indian sports media, with a small fraction of IPL viewers likely to watch the FIFA World Cup, particularly during late-night match times.
Viacom18 previously secured rights to the 2022 World Cup, hosted in Qatar, for around $60 million—an event that benefited from a more favorable time zone for Indian audiences. This year’s matches face challenges due to the significant time difference, complicating FIFA’s sales efforts and dampening broadcaster interest.
