FIFA opens flexible US World Cup rights race after audience surge

FIFA has launched the tender for 2030 World Cup media rights in the United States and Puerto Rico, inviting broadcasters and streaming platforms to propose different distribution models with an option to include the 2034 tournament.The process allows separate linear and streaming agreements, combined packages and joint bids, giving FIFA scope to reshape its partnerships after the record audiences generated by the North American 2026 World Cup.FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström said: “The next two FIFA World Cups will build on that momentum.“We are looking for a partner who shares our commitment to innovation, who can bring every moment of the action to fans wherever and however they choose to watch, and who is committed to the next phase of football’s growth in North America.”Proposals are due by noon Eastern Standard Time on November 19, 2026, according to FIFA’s official tender announcement.Chief business officer Romy Gai said FIFA wanted to remain flexible about how prospective partners structure their offers, including whether one company handles the entire proposition or several businesses collaborate.Gai said: “We want to be open and flexible, to hear what they need. Ultimately, the scope is to engage more and deeper with our fans around the world.”FIFA would prefer English- and Spanish-language rights to sit under the same umbrella, but Gai said that condition was not mandatory.That leaves bidders room to propose language-specific arrangements alongside alternatives combining both audiences and multiple distribution platforms.Gai added: “I expect, honestly, a multitude of very different possibilities we can then sit down and discuss.”FIFA is marketing the rights after a 2026 tournament that it says averaged 13.5 million US viewers per match across linear television and streaming, an increase of 166% on Qatar 2022.Every US men’s national team fixture attracted more than 20 million viewers, while the final averaged 63 million, making it the most-watched football match in US history, according to the governing body.Grafström said: “The FIFA World Cup 2026 belonged to the fans. They turned every match into a celebration of football and culture, and the atmosphere in the stadiums extended to millions of households across the United States.”The commercial impact extended to advertising, with Comcast reporting that World Cup coverage helped increase its media business’s third-quarter US advertising revenue by 14.6%, compared with growth of 0.3% excluding the tournament.Fox and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo were the incumbent US broadcasters, but the open tender creates an opportunity for streaming services to challenge or partner with established television groups.Netflix’s acquisition of US rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups, covering English and Spanish, provides an existing example of a streaming-led approach to FIFA tournament distribution.The next men’s tournaments present a different scheduling proposition from 2026, however, with most matches taking place outside North American time zones.Morocco, Portugal and Spain will host the 2030 competition, alongside three centenary fixtures in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Saudi Arabia will host in 2034.Bidders must therefore assess how the audience momentum from a home-region tournament translates into future viewing, subscription and advertising opportunities.FIFA said it would select “the entity, or entities, best placed to deliver comprehensive, high-quality coverage in the United States and Puerto Rico”, with offers due on November 19.