With just a month to go before the 2026 World Cup, FIFA finds itself in a precarious position: no broadcast agreements have been reached with China or India, the world's two most populous nations. The failure to secure TV deals in these markets, which together house 2.7 billion people, is a growing headache for FIFA president Gianni Infantino as the tournament draws near.
FIFA expanded the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams in part to increase the chances of countries like India and China qualifying. Yet neither team made the cut for 2026, and the expected media rights windfall has not materialized. With only 30 days until kickoff, the standoff threatens to leave billions of potential viewers without legal access to the 104 matches.
According to The Guardian, FIFA initially sought $100 million from India for this World Cup and the next, while demanding between $250 million and $300 million from China. Those asking prices have fallen steadily. In India, the price has reportedly dropped to $35 million, but the closest bid—from the Reliance-Disney merged entity JioStar—stands at just $20 million. In China, CCTV, the traditional broadcaster, has a budget of $60–$80 million, far short of FIFA’s reduced range of $120–$150 million.
India's broadcasting landscape has changed drastically since the 2022 World Cup. Viacom18, then a new player hungry for premium content, paid $62 million for the rights and was willing to absorb losses. Now, after the merger of Reliance and Disney, the market has essentially only two players: JioStar and Sony. That lack of competition has weakened FIFA's bargaining position.
Shaji Prabhakaran, a member of the Asian Football Confederation’s executive committee and former general secretary of the All India Football Federation, told The Guardian that the time difference is not the main obstacle. “The timing can be used as an excuse,” he said. “The World Cup games are on similar times to UEFA Champions League games, and Indians watch those.” He instead pointed to a lack of options and confidence in the broadcasting sector, exacerbated by cricket’s dominance. The Indian Premier League, shown on JioStar, has seen a 26% drop in average viewership this season, making broadcasters cautious about spending heavily on a football tournament without India’s participation.
Another factor is the weakening Indian rupee, which traded at 54 to the dollar in 2013 but now stands at 95. That makes dollar-denominated rights fees even more expensive for local broadcasters. Meanwhile, in China, a combination of time difference (12 hours ahead of New York), the national team’s absence, and the ability of tech-savvy young fans to bypass restrictions via VPNs has reduced the urgency to pay a premium. Social media in China has largely supported CCTV’s reluctance to bid higher, with many expecting a deal will eventually be done.
Despite the apparent impasse, reports suggest FIFA has sent a high-ranking delegation to Beijing to finalize an agreement, potentially within the week. Prabhakaran predicts it may take two weeks in India. But the longer the delay, the greater the risk that other broadcasters will learn that the rights can be had at deep discounts, devaluing the product globally.
“There always has to be a balance,” said Prabhakaran. “The value of the product has to be protected or there can be consequences.” Infantino faces a dilemma: accept lower fees and set a precedent, or risk leaving two of the world’s largest media markets without legal broadcast options for the World Cup. It is a crisis that FIFA likely never anticipated when it expanded the tournament, and it highlights the complex economic realities of global football rights.
As time ticks down, the pressure on Infantino only increases. The World Cup is football’s crown jewel, but without coverage in China and India, its global reach and financial potential remain incomplete. Based on reporting from The Guardian.