Streamers eye World Cup rights as FIFA weighs $2bn U.S. package

FIFA’s next U.S. media-rights auction for the men’s World Cup is drawing interest from Netflix, Disney and Alphabet’s YouTube, with media executives preparing for bids that could value each tournament at $1.5 billion to $2 billion, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The prospective auction could reset pricing for premium sports rights in the U.S., where the 2026 World Cup has delivered large television and streaming audiences for Fox, Telemundo and Peacock.

CNBC reported that the three companies are interested in challenging Fox for the U.S. rights to the 2030 and 2034 tournaments. Amazon, which holds UEFA Champions League rights in the U.K., and Apple, which owns global rights to Major League Soccer, could also enter the process, according to the same report.

Talks between FIFA and potential U.S. media partners are expected to start within the next three months, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter. FIFA, Netflix, YouTube and Disney declined to comment to CNBC. An NBC spokesperson also declined to comment.

Bundled rights could lift the price

FIFA has told media companies in preliminary discussions that it is likely to combine English-language and Spanish-language U.S. rights into one package, CNBC reported. That would mark a change from earlier World Cups, including 2026, where the language packages were sold separately.

The structure matters because a single buyer would control both major U.S. language feeds, giving it broader reach across broadcast, cable and streaming. For FIFA, the combined package could increase competition among large media and technology groups seeking scale audiences. For bidders, it would also mean absorbing rights that previously could be split across companies with different audience strategies.

Fox paid $485 million for English-language rights to the 2026 tournament, according to The Athletic. Telemundo paid $600 million for Spanish-language rights, CNBC reported, citing people familiar with the matter. FIFA last negotiated the original Fox and Telemundo deal in 2011 and extended it through 2026 four years later.

CNBC reported that NBCUniversal is unlikely to compete near a $2 billion price if the English and Spanish rights are bundled. Comcast said last month that it plans to spin out NBCUniversal, and the media company already pays billions of dollars a year for NFL “Sunday Night Football” and NBA basketball rights, CNBC reported.

Streaming ambitions meet time-zone limits

Netflix, Disney and YouTube see the World Cup as a way to strengthen their streaming services, according to CNBC’s reporting. Disney could also place matches on ESPN and ABC, giving FIFA a broadcast component alongside streaming distribution. FIFA has already awarded Netflix U.S. rights to the Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031, according to ESPN.

FIFA does not sell the men’s World Cup as one global package because some countries require matches to be available over the air, CNBC reported. The U.S. package remains attractive because of advertising demand and the size of the audience, even though the next two tournaments are less favorable for U.S. viewing times than the 2026 event in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

The 2030 tournament will be staged in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, five or six hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone. Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup, creating a wider time difference for American viewers.

Recent audiences have strengthened FIFA’s negotiating position. Fox Sports said the U.S. win over Bosnia and Herzegovina averaged more than 26 million viewers, making it the most-watched English-language soccer telecast in history. CNBC reported that another 9.8 million watched on Telemundo or Peacock. AdImpact estimated that combined English- and Spanish-language audiences for the U.S. match against Belgium averaged 47.9 million viewers before Nielsen figures were released.

Non-U.S. matches have also performed strongly. More than 11 million viewers watched Portugal against Croatia on Fox, CNBC reported, making it the most-watched U.S. telecast for a non-final World Cup match that did not include the U.S. team.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.