The 2026 World Cup is set to deliver a major financial windfall for FIFA, with the allure of the greatest show on earth clearly evident in the financial reporting around media rights.
The tournament kicks off on June 11th across the US, Mexico and Canada, with an expanded 48-team format, meaning there are more matches, more broadcast hours and more revenue opportunities than ever before. As the most-watched event in global sport, broadcasters are willing to pay massive sums for live rights.
Fox and Telemundo hold the two largest US deals, while Europe, the UK and other major markets are all contributing to what should be FIFA’s most lucrative World Cup yet.
How much FIFA are making from 2026 World Cup TV rights
According to Finance Football, FIFA are expected to earn around $6bn in total revenue from the 2026 World Cup, with media rights alone set to exceed $3.8bn.
That would represent more than 60% of the money FIFA are preparing to generate from the tournament. It is also a major rise on Qatar 2022, with media-rights revenue projected to be around 22.5% higher because of the larger format and increase in matches.
Europe remains the most valuable single market, worth an estimated $1.4bn. The UK leads within Europe at over $350m.
North America is another huge player, of course. In the US, Fox’s English-language rights are valued at about $480m, with Telemundo’s Spanish-language deal not far behind at $465m. The total regional rights across North America exceed $1bn.
Elsewhere, Asia and Oceania are worth more than $700m combined, South America around $360m and Africa around $200m. China’s valuation is much lower than previously expected, while India remains one of the smaller major-market deals at around $25m.
Where to watch the 2026 World Cup
In the United States, Fox and FS1 are the English-language homes of the World Cup, with Telemundo and Universo covering the tournament in Spanish. Streaming options include the Fox Sports App, Peacock and live TV services carrying those channels.
In the UK, BBC and ITV will share free-to-air coverage, meaning fans can watch matches through traditional TV as well as BBC iPlayer and ITV’s streaming platforms.
Canada will have English and French options, with CTV and TSN carrying English coverage and RDS providing French-language broadcasts. Mexico’s coverage is expected to include TelevisaUnivision, TV Azteca, Sky Sports Mexico and ViX.
Broadcast income has become one of FIFA’s main financial drivers, and it’s no surprise. The World Cup never fails to draw an audience.
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