World Cup hopes are growing in India as Zee Entertainment in talks | World Cup 2026 news

The broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in India have expired a few weeks before the June 11 kick-off.

India’s Zee Entertainment is in talks with FIFA to show and broadcast the 2026 World Cup in the country, the company said.

Tuesday’s announcement, which did not provide financial details, comes amid talks between the Reliance-Disney partnership and the football club. at deadlockjust a few weeks before the tournament starts on June 11.

FIFA, which had originally sought $100m for the rights to broadcast the 2026 and 2030 World Cups in India, had last looked at around $60m, Reuters news agency reported.

The expected investment still exceeds the $20m offered by Reliance-Disney, led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance.

Sony also held talks but decided against giving FIFA rights to India.

FIFA has partnered with broadcasters in more than 180 regions around the world, it said earlier.

Zee ⁠Entertainment revealed its talks with FIFA as part of the launch of Unite8 Sports, a dedicated sports channel to promote its sport to consumers.

India accounted for 2.9 percent of the world’s 2022 Qatar World Cup, trailing only China in the overall display, with more than 745 million fans following the action across all platforms in the country, according to figures released by FIFA.

In terms of television viewership, India was among the top 10 countries – ahead of World Cup participants Germany, France and England – with an average of 84 million viewers.