Indian fans may be able to watch the FIFA World Cup on Zee
New Delhi: After months of uncertainty, there is finally some good news for Indian football fans. Zee has officially announced that it has acquired the broadcasting rights in India for the FIFA World Cup, which begins this month.
There was once a strong concern that the World Cup, which is being held in three countries in the American continent, would not be available in India. JioStar (the merger of Viacom18, Disney Star, and Hotstar), which was the broadcaster of the previous World Cup, was not willing to pay the broadcasting fee demanded by FIFA. Reports say that JioStar was held back by concerns that the match times based on the American time zone were not very favorable for viewers and advertisers in India.
Meanwhile, hopes of public sector broadcaster Doordarshan telecasting the World Cup were also over. Doordarshan had also withdrawn from the competition, informing the Delhi High Court that it was not its responsibility to acquire commercial broadcasting rights.
It is in this context that Zee has secured a deal with FIFA, ensuring that football fans in India will be able to enjoy all the excitement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup live on TV and digital platforms.
According to a Reuters report, FIFA had initially expected $100 million for the broadcasting rights for the 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cups. However, due to lack of interest and JioStar's strong market presence, FIFA reportedly reduced the amount to around $60 million. However, JioStar was reportedly only willing to pay a maximum of $20 million. Sony, which has a smaller presence than JioStar, also pulled out of the competition at that stage. The financial details of the current deal between Zee and FIFA have not been disclosed yet.
Zee's shares rose about 7 percent in the stock market after the deal was announced.
The broadcast will begin with the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 11. The matches will be broadcast on four newly launched sports channels. Unite8 Sports 1 and Unite8 Sports 1 HD channels have been prepared for the Hindi audience and Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD channels for the English audience . In addition, all the matches will be streamed live on Zee's digital platform ZEE5 .
We are delighted to bring one of the world's biggest sporting events, the FIFA World Cup, to Indian audiences.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises CEO Puneet Goenka reportedly said, “Football is a sport that unites people across language, region and age. Our investment in acquiring broadcast rights and launching dedicated sports channels is a reflection of our belief in the long-term potential of football,” he added.
The deal includes broadcasting rights for a total of 39 FIFA tournaments until 2034. Along with the matches, the deal also includes a football-related documentary series. According to a report by Variety magazine, the deal includes the FIFA U-17 Men's and Women's World Cups from 2026 to 2034, the FIFA U-20 Men's and Women's World Cups, the FIFA Futsal Men's and Women's World Cups, and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup until 2030.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will be the largest World Cup in history. For the first time, 48 countries will participate, significantly increasing the scale and number of matches of the World Cup.
Iran is among the teams that have qualified for the World Cup. However, there have been some reports and discussions in the international media that Iran's matches will be held in Mexico. However, FIFA's official stance on such issues is the final decision.
One of the biggest surprises in qualifying for this year's World Cup was Italy's elimination. The failure of Italy, one of the strongest teams in world football, to qualify for the second consecutive World Cup has led to much debate.
Meanwhile, India and China, the world's two most populous countries, have failed to qualify for the World Cup once again. Even as football's popularity continues to grow, especially in India, the wait to reach the World Cup stage continues.