Indian fans will not miss out on the FIFA World Cup 2026 as it was announced on Monday that Zee Entertainment will broadcast and live stream the matches in India.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be broadcast and live-streamed on Zee Entertainment properties in India, it was confirmed on Monday. The World Cup matches will be broadcast on the newly launched United8 Sports linear TV channels, while the live streaming of the games will be available on Zee5.
Interestingly, Zee has secured the media rights for FIFA events through 2034, bringing an end to fears that Indian fans will miss out on the World Cup 2026.
Zee to broadcast World Cup matches in India
FIFA had
struggled to sell the media rights to JioHotstar, Sony Sports and other parties due to unfavourable match timings for the FIFA World Cup 2026 that will be played across the USA, Mexico and Canada. FIFA’s steep demand of $100 million for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups made the negotiations even tougher.
While FIFA slashed the asking price to $60 million, it reportedly only got a $20 million offer. But things changed after Zee launched new linear sports channels last week
to re-enter the Indian sports broadcast market.
It is not clear how much Zee is paying for the media rights, but it is expected to be more than $20 million.
“We are excited to bring one of the world’s biggest sporting spectacles to Indian audiences. Football cuts across regions and demographics, and the investments in garnering the media rights and launching dedicated sports channels, reflect our clear belief in its long-term potential,” ZEEL CEO Punit Goenka said.
“Our approach has been to invest in properties where we see current relevance and future growth potential. Our partnership with FIFA will enable us to unlock the true value of the sport in line with our sharp focus on growth and profitability, while amplifying the excitement of the game for every fan,” he continued.
The 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams for the first will start on 11 July. The official broadcaster for India has been announced just 11 days before the tournament.
Besides the World Cup 2026, Zee will also telecast the following FIFA events:
FIFA World Cup 2030
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027
FIFA Men’s U-17 World Cup (2026-2034)
FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup (2026-2034)
FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup
FIFA Futsal Men’s World Cup
FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup
FIFA Intercontinental Cup (2026-2030)
First Published:
June 01, 2026, 14:41 IST
End of Article
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.firstpost.com ’
