Two Billion Fans, No Signal: India and China Still Without a 2026 Broadcaster
37 days from kickoff, no deal has been announced for the world's two most populous nations. Reliance-Disney's $20m offer was rejected by FIFA; talks in China remain confidential.
T hirty-seven days from the opening whistle at the Estadio Azteca, millions of football fans in India and China still have no confirmed way to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to reporting by Reuters published on May 4. The two countries together accounted for 22.6% of all global digital streaming reach for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, and China alone delivered 49.8% of all hours viewed on FIFA's digital and social platforms.
In India, the Reliance-Disney joint venture led by Mukesh Ambani has tabled an offer of roughly $20 million for the 2026 broadcast rights – well below FIFA's asking price. Reuters reports FIFA originally sought $100 million for a package covering both 2026 and 2030, and is now looking for a figure closer to the $60 million Reliance paid as a standalone media arm for the 2022 edition. Sony, India's other natural bidder, held talks but did not submit an offer.
The reported sticking points are structural: cricket dominates Indian sports advertising and football does not command the same commercial premium; most matches will air past midnight Indian time given the North American host venues; and an advertising slowdown linked to the Iranian war has further compressed revenue expectations. "Football is a niche segment in India," one source told Reuters.
In China – by FIFA's own counting the single largest digital audience for the World Cup, with around 200 million self-identified football fans – no agreement has been announced. State broadcaster CCTV had locked in the 2018 and 2022 rights well in advance and was running promotional content weeks before kickoff. This time CCTV did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and FIFA would only confirm that "discussions in China and India regarding the sale of media rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 are ongoing and must remain confidential at this stage."
The compressed window matters. A successful World Cup deployment requires signing rights, building production infrastructure, selling advertising inventory, and onboarding sponsors. CCTV historically completed all four steps months in advance. Whoever signs in India or China this week will have roughly five weeks to do all of it.
"Not much time is left but I won't call it a stalemate," Rohit Potphode, managing partner for sports at Dentsu India, told Reuters. "It's more like we are at the end of a chess game with a couple of moves left."
A meaningful gap in either market would not dent the on-the-ground experience in North America, but would visibly soften FIFA's "3.5 billion global audience" narrative – and leave several hundred million fans dependent on VPNs, unofficial streams, or the FIFA+ app where available.