Is FIFA World Cup 2026 finally coming to Indian screens? Big update expected next week

Shaji Prabhakaran, former general secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), on Saturday said negotiations for the India broadcast deal had been completed and an official announcement is likely next week.

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“BIG NEWS FOR INDIAN FOOTBALL FANS! The wait is finally over. Negotiations are complete, and the official announcement for the FIFA World Cup 2026 broadcasting partner in India is expected next week,” Prabhakaran wrote in a post on X.

“After months of uncertainty, fans can finally relax — the World Cup will be fully accessible in India,” he added.

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The development comes amid growing concerns over whether Indian viewers would be able to watch the tournament, scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19, after no broadcaster had officially secured the media rights for the country.

Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court issued notices to the Centre and Prasar Bharati on a petition seeking directions to ensure the FIFA World Cup is broadcast in India, especially through free-to-air public platforms such as Doordarshan and DD Sports.Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav issued notice while hearing a plea filed by advocate Avdhesh Bairwa under Article 226 of the Constitution.

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The petition argued that the absence of a broadcast deal could deprive millions of football fans in India of access to one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

It also pointed out that the FIFA World Cup had already been notified as a “sporting event of national importance” under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007, and argued that the government and Prasar Bharati were obligated to ensure public access to the tournament.

In a separate developement, Reuters reported earlier this week that FIFA media rights officials had visited India amid a prolonged deadlock over the tournament’s broadcast rights.

According to Reuters, discussions between FIFA and the Reliance-Disney joint venture had failed to materialise due to disagreements over pricing, while Sony had stayed away from bidding.

Reuters had earlier reported that the Reliance-Disney joint venture had offered around $20 million for the rights, far below FIFA’s initial asking price of $100 million. FIFA was later said to be seeking at least $60 million, though a separate court plea claimed the valuation had been reduced to around $35 million amid weak broadcaster interest.

At the time, FIFA told Reuters that discussions regarding media rights in India were ongoing and confidential.