CBS Sports secures US rights to AFC Asian Cup as Paramount+ portfolio grows
CBS Sports has secured exclusive US rights to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 and AFC U23 Asian Cup 2028, expanding Paramount+’s football portfolio with two major Asian national-team competitions.
CBS Sports has agreed an exclusive US media rights partnership with the Asian Football Confederation covering the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 and the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2028.The agreement gives Paramount+ live English-language coverage of every match from both tournaments across the United States and US territories, including Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.The AFC said the partnership will give fans “access to live English-language coverage” of both competitions, with every match streaming on Paramount+.The deal strengthens CBS Sports’ football portfolio and adds further international tournament content to Paramount+ as streaming platforms continue to use football rights to drive subscription value and engagement.The AFC Asian Cup is the confederation’s flagship men’s national-team competition and will be staged in Saudi Arabia in 2027.The tournament will give CBS access to a major international football property featuring leading Asian national teams, including Japan, South Korea, Iran, Australia and host nation Saudi Arabia.The AFC U23 Asian Cup 2028 adds a development and Olympic-cycle property to the package, giving Paramount+ another national-team competition with younger players and emerging talent.The agreement also gives the AFC a dedicated English-language platform in the US, where interest in football has continued to grow around major international events and the build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Paramount+ has become one of the most active football streaming platforms in the US through rights to UEFA club competitions, the NWSL, Serie A, the Women’s Super League and other properties.Asian football gives CBS additional inventory outside the traditional European football calendar and adds matches played in time windows that can diversify the platform’s live sports schedule.The deal was brokered through the AFC’s commercial rights structure for the 2023 to 2028 cycle.The partnership also continues CBS Sports’ previous relationship with AFC competitions, after Paramount+ carried a range of Asian club and national-team properties earlier in the decade.CBS Sports will now incorporate the AFC Asian Cup and AFC U23 Asian Cup into its wider football offering, with tournament coverage centred on Paramount+ from 2027.