World Cup rights chase could put Netflix and YouTube up against Fox
CNBC reports Netflix, Disney and YouTube are eyeing U.S. rights to the 2030 and 2034 men’s World Cups, with bids potentially reaching $2 billion per tournament.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
The next U.S. TV fight over the men’s World Cup could pull in Netflix, Disney and YouTube, and the bill may climb as high as $2 billion for each tournament.
CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the three companies are interested in challenging Fox for U.S. broadcast rights to the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups. The people said media executives are planning around a possible price range of $1.5 billion to $2 billion per tournament across languages.
Amazon and Apple could also take a look, CNBC reported. Amazon holds UEFA Champions League rights in the U.K., while Apple has global Major League Soccer rights.
Formal talks between FIFA and media companies are expected to start within the next three months, according to CNBC’s unnamed sources. Preliminary discussions began earlier this year, and FIFA has told media companies that U.S. English- and Spanish-language rights are likely to be sold together, the people said.
One package, bigger price
That would mark a shift from recent World Cups. Fox holds the English-language rights for the 2026 tournament, while NBCUniversal’s Telemundo has the Spanish-language rights.
Fox paid $485 million for the English-language package for the 2026 World Cup, according to The Athletic. Telemundo paid $600 million for the Spanish-language rights, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the deal.
FIFA’s last negotiation with Fox and Telemundo came in 2011, according to ESPN. FIFA later extended those agreements through 2026, The New York Times reported.
CNBC reported that bundling the two language packages could lift the final price and reduce friction between companies airing the same games. The report noted that Telemundo’s Peacock streaming audience may include English-speaking viewers, while Fox offers its Fox One streaming service at a higher monthly price.
If FIFA sells the rights as a combined package near $2 billion, NBCUniversal is not expected to compete, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Comcast said last month that it plans to spin out NBCUniversal, and NBCU already spends billions annually on “Sunday Night Football” and NBA basketball. An NBC spokesperson declined to comment to CNBC.
Streamers want the World Cup bump
Netflix, Disney and YouTube see the World Cup as a way to help their streaming businesses, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with their thinking. Disney could also show games on ESPN and ABC.
FIFA has already done business with Netflix on soccer rights. ESPN reported that Netflix secured U.S. rights to the Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031.
Spokespeople for FIFA, Netflix, YouTube and Disney declined to comment to CNBC.
The next two men’s tournaments will be tougher for U.S. TV schedules than 2026, which is being hosted in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The 2030 World Cup is set for Morocco, Portugal and Spain, while Saudi Arabia will host in 2034.
Even so, recent U.S. audiences have given FIFA plenty to sell. Fox Sports said the U.S. win over Bosnia and Herzegovina averaged more than 26 million viewers in English, the biggest English-language soccer telecast on record. CNBC reported that another 9.8 million watched on Telemundo or Peacock.
AdImpact estimated that the U.S. match against Belgium averaged 47.9 million viewers across English and Spanish coverage, CNBC reported. Fox also drew more than 11 million viewers for Portugal vs. Croatia, making it the most-watched U.S. telecast of a non-final World Cup match that did not include the U.S. team, according to CNBC.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.