The FIFA World Cup 2026 is just around the corner. It will kick off very soon on 11 June, but fans still don’t have any idea who will broadcast this tournament in India as no official broadcaster has been confirmed yet. People are now questioning: will it be aired in India, or will there be a blackout??
Let us understand the current status of the broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in India with the help of the facts outlined below—specifically, what are the reasons behind this, and why is there such a delay? Let me break it down in simple words.
The Main Problem: Bad Match Timings
FIFA has released the full schedule for 2026 World Cup and this time is happening in North America (USA, Canada, Mexico). The broadcast timing is a nightmare. There is a time differance of around 9:30 hours to 12:30 hours based on different cities. In short, when the match takes place during the day in North America, it will be night in India and if the match take place in night then it is early morning in India.
As per the schedule, nearly 90 out of 104 matches – including the semi-finals and the final – will start between 12:30 AM IST, 1:30 AM IST, 3:30 AM IST, 4:30 AM IST, and 6:30 AM IST. Most of viewers are either sleeping or just waking up… means these are not viewer-friendly slots.
Think practically. Who will watch a semifinal at 12:30 AM in India on 15 and 16 July? Only the hardcore die-hard fans. But broadcasters don’t make money from just a few thousand fans. They need crores of viewers to sell ads. And during those late-night hours, the TV is mostly off. Even if someone watches, during the half-break, they just switch off or go to the kitchen to have drink. Ad recovery is nearly impossible.
As stated on The Economic Times, the weird timing (for Indian viewers) is a big thing that no broadcaster in India interested in acquiring the broadcasting rights for 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Money Fight: FIFA vs Indian Broadcasters
As mentioned in recent business reports (shared by The Indian Express, The Times of India), JioHotstar (the Reliance-Disney joint venture) was the main contender. FIFA offered $100 million for 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cup together. Later, they reduced it to roughly $35 million, but still, the Indian broadcasters are not ready to sign the deal.
JioHotstar
JioHotstar offered $20 million, as there was no other broadcaster; but FIFA turned it down. Now situation is… FIFA is not ready to sell broadcasting right at this price, and Jio is not interested to pay any extra penny.
As per my research what I found, even if Jio locks the deal at $20 million, still Jio will face massive loss as the match timings are bit off (these are not as per Indian viewers). So, when no viewers or few viewers are there to watch the game live on TV, whom they will sell the ads?
Last time when Jio bought the streaming rights to air 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, they faced a massive loss of around $30 million. That time Jio paid $60 million for 2022 FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights, and when the event ended, their balance sheet confirmed the loss of around $30 million. And guys, last time the timings were perfect for India (evening matches) + Jio streaming the content for free!
This time – #1. the timing most of matches are bit off and #2nd it’s not free to watch (subscription required). So this looks, JioHotstar, won’t repeat the same mistake.
Sony Liv
Sony LIV also showed some interest in early discussions, but as per the latest updates, they have not placed a formal bid. They are staying away. In earlier reports… it was confirmed they are in race, but they don’t want to pay more than $10 million, which is far less than what FIFA demanded.
Prasar Bharati: DD Sports
Now, here is the twist. If private players refuse to pay, DD Sports (Doordarshan) can step in. As per Prasar Bharati rules, they can intervene to prevent a “blackout”. The reason DD Sports/Prasar Bharati are heavily in the news right now is because the Delhi High Court officially issued a notice to the Central Government and Prasar Bharati to urgently secure the broadcast rights under the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act.
As published on Times Now News, Doordarshan is offering approximately ₹5 crore as the national broadcaster for only the knockout games of the Men’s FIFA World Cup 2026.
If that happens, you might watch the key matches (opening ceremony, quarter-finals, semis, and final) for free on DD Sports, DD Free Dish, or their WAVES OTT app. But will they show all 104 matches? Very unlikely. Only the big ones you can watch for free on Parsar Bharti backed TV channels.
So, What Will Happen Next?
Honestly? As of May 2026, nothing is final. But here is my practical guess based on how these deals work:
Last-minute compromise: FIFA and JioHotstar will settle around $15-25 million at the last minute. Maybe they will add a combo deal for the 2030 World Cup. Why we are saying? Because FIFA was facing a similar deadlock in China, but on May 15, 2026, China Media Group (CMG) officially broke the impasse and bought the rights for around $60 million.
Hybrid model: JioHotstar takes the digital streaming rights to air FIFA WC matches, and DD Sports takes the TV rights for big matches.
The Risk: If no one agrees, India could face a blackout. But that seems unlikely because the government will step in and resolve this issue.
Rumors: Some insiders who closely monitoring the FIFA World Cup have confirmed that the other streaming giants like YouTube Premium or Amazon Prime can bag the official streaming rights of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The more details related to 2026 FIFA World cup broadcasting rights – who will air it in India will be revealed soon. Until then, keep checking sports news portals and don’t forget to share with others!
