Less than a month before the start of the World Cup 2026the FIFA closed an agreement for the tournament broadcast in Chinaa strategic market that still did not have a defined contract for the next appointment. The agreement was announced on Friday and was finalized just 27 days before the opening game.
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The negotiation ended below the economic expectations that, according to Chinese media, the football governing body initially had. Local reports indicated that The final value of the rights for the 2026 tournament was around $60 million dollarsa figure very far from the $300 million that FIFA would have requested in the first conversations.
The pact was signed with China Media Neighborhood and includes not only the 2026 men’s World Cup, but also three other World Cups: the men’s editions of 2030 and the women’s editions of 2027 and 2031. In this way, the agreement covers four tournaments until 2031, although it was not detailed how much corresponds to each of them.
The next men’s edition will be played from June 11 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with an expanded format to 48 teams and 104 matches. China failed to qualify for the contest.
The Chinese market and FIFA’s commercial commitment
FIFA classic secretary, Mattias Grafström, celebrated the signing of the agreement in an official statement. “It is a real pleasure to have reached an agreement with CMG“, he expressed, after a visit to China where he also held meetings with officials from the local federation.
The operation originates in a context in which the influence of the World Cup in the Asian country is conditioned by the time difference between Beijing and the 16 host cities spread across North America, where the distance can reach up to 15 hours.
Despite this, Chinese companies have already invested significantly in the tournament. Lenovo is among FIFA’s top eight sponsors, while Mengniu and Hisense have second-tier deals. FIFA expects revenues of more than $11 billion dollars for the 2026 World Cup.
Another Chinese company, Wanda Neighborhood, had signed a long-term agreement with FIFA in 2016, although that relationship ended two years ago. At the time, the conglomerate had linked its investment to the possibility of China aspiring to organize the 2030 World Cup, an option that lost strength after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2030 World Cup will be played mainly in Spain, Portugal and Morocco with some matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. For its part, the 2027 Women’s World Cup will be in Brazil and the 2031 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, accompanied by Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica.
Indiaanother key market in Asia, remains without a confirmed agreement for the broadcast of the 2026 World Cup.
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