FIFA Opens 2030 World Cup U.S. Media Rights Bidding with Year-End Decision

FIFA has officially started the process to auction off the U.S. media rights for the 2030 men's World Cup, with the option for interested parties to also secure rights for the 2034 tournament. The organization announced the tender on Thursday, inviting bids by November 19. This move marks the first time since 2011 that FIFA has put the U.S. men's World Cup television rights up for sale.

Among the companies reportedly interested in acquiring these rights are streaming giants and traditional media powerhouses such as YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, and Disney. Industry insiders predict the rights could command a price between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, reflecting the increasing value of live sports content in the competitive media landscape.

Fox Sports previously paid $425 million for the 2026 World Cup rights in the United States, a tournament that spanned the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. That event broke U.S. viewership records, averaging 13.5 million viewers per match, which represented a 166% increase compared to the 2022 World Cup. The geographic proximity of the 2026 host countries allowed many games to be scheduled during convenient afternoon and evening hours for U.S. audiences.

The 2030 World Cup will take place across Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, presenting different time zone challenges compared to the 2026 event. FIFA prefers to package the English and Spanish-language U.S. media rights together and sell them as a single bundle. This approach contrasts with the arrangement used for the 2022 World Cup, where NBCUniversal's Telemundo held the Spanish-language rights while Fox managed the English-language broadcasts. That division created some friction, particularly since Peacock streamed Spanish-language matches at a lower cost than Fox's English-language coverage, which was available on Fox One.

Romy Gai, FIFA's Chief Business Officer, said it is premature to set a firm price expectation for the 2030 rights but emphasized FIFA's willingness to be flexible. "We expect a big number of participants, both from the linear side and from the streamer side," she said in an interview. "We want to listen to what is relevant for them, and then we can build up the best case together." FIFA is open to offers from a single media company acquiring the entire package or from joint ventures involving both streaming services and traditional broadcasters.

Looking ahead to the 2034 World Cup, which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia, the time zone difference poses additional challenges for U.S. audiences. Riyadh is seven hours ahead of New York, potentially pushing match times out of prime viewing hours. However, Gai downplayed the impact of this factor on bidding interest. "I'm sure that we will have every day matches that will be available in the right time zone for the U.S.," she explained. "We expect it to have an impact [on the bidding], but not as big as you think."

FIFA also plans to ensure that if a streaming service secures the rights, a certain number of matches will be accessible to viewers for free. This could be achieved by requiring sublicensing agreements or by offering some games on a free tier of the streaming platform, if such an option exists. Netflix has already secured the 2030 World Cup rights for Spain, with a stipulation that allows at least one match per day to be broadcast on free-to-air television.

Following the November 19 deadline for bids, FIFA representatives will visit the United States around Thanksgiving to meet with interested media companies in person. During this period, FIFA may narrow the field of contenders and request final bids or proceed directly to selecting a winner. The organization intends to finalize its choice of media partner before the end of the year.

The auction of these media rights occurs at a time when live sports programming remains a highly valuable asset for broadcasters and streaming platforms looking to attract and retain subscribers. The World Cup, as the most-watched sporting event globally, commands significant attention and advertising revenue, making this bidding process a key moment for the U.S. sports media market.