A rising tide lifts all boats! Japanese media: The price of broadcast rights for the 2026 World Cup is expected to be US$200 million

Hupu News on November 4th Today, according to Japan's "Sports Japan" report, the price of broadcast rights for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year is expected to be US$200 million.

On the 3rd, two Japanese streaming media giants, NTT Docomo and DAZN, jointly announced that they are negotiating with FIFA for the broadcast rights of next year’s World Cup, and are expected to obtain the live broadcast rights of all 104 games (each will broadcast 52 games).

According to multiple sources, the value of the broadcast rights for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is estimated to be US$200 million. The broadcast rights for the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022 were US$130 million. After the expansion of the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the number of games has increased, and FIFA has taken this opportunity to increase its offer. It is reported that FIFA initially bid $260 million, but no one took it, and then it was reduced to $200 million.

In addition, NHK TV has obtained authorization from the above-mentioned two companies and is allowed to broadcast a certain number of games, including the opening game, finals and Japanese team games. In recent years, the cost of broadcasting sports events has soared, making it unaffordable for many commercial TV stations, and many games have disappeared from traditional TV screens. But in the UK, sports are regarded as public goods and paid operators are legally prohibited from monopolizing national events, while Japan is also seriously considering reforms.