FIFA breaks silence after World Cup finally gets a broadcaster in India

FIFA World Cup 2026 finally gets a broadcaster in India. Here's all you need to know.

Updated on: Jun 1, 2026, 16:10:42 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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At long last, the FIFA World Cup 2026 finally has a broadcaster in India. After months of back-and-forth, the world body put pen to paper, and the tournament now has a new home in India. On Monday, FIFA announced that it has reached an agreement with ‘Z’ to broadcast and distribute a wide-ranging portfolio of FIFA competitions in the country for an eight-year period from 2026 to 2034. As a part of this newly-signed deal, ‘Z’ would be broadcasting tournaments, including this year's World Cup, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 and the FIFA World Cup 2030.

FIFA World Cup 2026 finally gets a broadcaster in India (REUTERS)

Under the partnership, the broadcaster will be delivering coverage of 39 FIFA events across this period, including men's, women's, and youth competitions. The agreement also includes documentary content linked to these competitions.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup, the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup, the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup, FIFA Futsal World Cups, and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, alongside the flagship FIFA World Cup, will all be telecast and streamed by ‘Z’.

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The FIFA World Cup matches and related programming will be distributed across Z’s linear television channels (UNITE8 Sports) and digital platform (Zee 5), with multilingual coverage designed to increase accessibility and fan engagement across India.

"The FIFA World Cup is the greatest show on earth, and we are glad to partner with ‘Z’ for the first time, to bring this global spectacle to India,” said FIFA’s Chief Business Officer, Romy Gai, in an official statement.

“The Indian market is of strategic importance for FIFA as it displays immense potential driven by a young and passionate audience. We believe the extensive broadcast and digital distribution ecosystem of ‘Z’, coupled with their deep understanding of local viewers and multi-platform capabilities, will play a pivotal role in expanding the reach of football with fans across every part of India," he added.

FIFA's aim

The world body also stated that its aim with the new partnership is to strengthen the visibility of its competitions in India, led by the FIFA World Cup 2026 and connect with a growing and passionate football audience by leveraging Z’s established broadcast and digital ecosystem.

“We are excited to bring one of the world’s biggest sporting spectacles to Indian audiences,” said Punit Goenka, CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd.

“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. 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 added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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