Over 110 million Indians watched the FIFA World Cup online in 2022. According to Viacom18, which paid $60 million for the rights 14 months in advance, 32 million people watched the Argentina vs. France final alone on JioCinema, and the total viewing duration exceeded 40 billion minutes.
FIFA still lacks a broadcaster in India for the 2026 World Cup, four years later.
Football's world governing body is still engaged in talks in India, one of the world's largest markets, with less than a month until the sport's greatest tournament begins in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

A Reuters story from earlier this month claims that JioStar, a joint venture between Reliance and Disney, made an offer for India rights of about $20 million, which was significantly less than FIFA's estimates. Sony apparently declined to bid since the economics "did not make sense." FIFA reportedly requested $100 million this time around for the broadcast rights to the World Cups in 2026 and 2030.
The prospect of millions of Indians being unable to legally watch the World Cup, which FIFA head Gianni Infantino has frequently referred to as the "most inclusive" World Cup ever, is more than simply an optical issue. It reveals a more serious flaw in the international sports industry: scale does not always equate to profit.

India is a young, mobile-heavy, digital-first, and enormous market that FIFA seeks in many aspects. India made up 2.9% of the world's linear TV viewership during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to Reuters data.
The issue of economics
However, the monetisation story is not as promising as the audience story.
More than a year prior to the competition, Viacom18 announced the acquisition of the rights to the 2022 World Cup in India, which was estimated to be worth $60 million. This time, FIFA reportedly lowered expectations to about $35 million after starting talks for about $100 million for bundled rights to the 2026 and 2030 tournaments. There were no takers even then.The dramatic decline is more indicative of shifting media economics than Indian football fandom.Broadcasters actively pursued sports licenses for years, hoping that size and the expansion of streaming would eventually offset skyrocketing expenses. That race was led by Cricket. Businesses treated sports as a means of attracting new users to streaming platforms, spending billions to secure the rights to the Indian Premier League and ICC competitions.

Media organisations are now under pressure to demonstrate profitability rather than just expansion. The marketplaces for advertising have softened. The prohibition on real-money gaming advertisements was another setback. Over the past few years, fantasy gaming platforms like Dream11 and My11Circle have emerged as some of the largest sponsors in Indian sports, particularly during cricket events. Spending on sports advertisements has noticeably decreased since their departure. Advertiser sentiment has been further undermined by economic uncertainty associated with the situation in West Asia.
Cricket is the other factor.
Even while football creates a lot of internet buzz in India, advertisers still do not place the same importance on it as they do on cricket. Despite its popularity on the internet, football is a "niche segment" commercially, according to industry insiders cited by The Economic Times.Timing plays a part in that. Since the 2026 World Cup will take place in North America, a number of matches will air in India long after midnight. This significantly reduces the possibility for television advertising. In July, India's white-ball cricket tour of England will clash with major knockout matches, which presents another challenge for broadcasters attempting to distribute limited advertising funds among an increasingly packed sports schedule.
One top media executive told The Economic Times, "The problem is that FIFA is approaching India with expectations similar to those in Europe, but football does not have that scale here."
However, FIFA's impasse with India would also highlight the extent to which broadcasters now have more negotiating power.The sports media environment in India has been significantly altered by the Reliance-Disney deal. Together, the businesses already own some of the most valuable sporting franchises in the nation, including ICC cricket and the Indian Premier League. FIFA is no longer as powerful as it once was because there are less serious bidders in the market.
This explains why the best bid on the table might still be a $20 million offer, which is a small portion of previous appraisals.
Ironically, there has likely never been a greater cultural impact of the World Cup in India.India's football audience was estimated by Ormax Media in 2024 to be over 305 million, second only to cricket's 612 million viewers. For 2025, no data was available.
For background, broadcaster JioStar recently stated that the total TV and digital reach of the TATA IPL 2026 has surpassed a record 1.1 billion spectators, and the event is expected to surpass 500 million TV viewers. This distinction is important because, despite the internet excitement surrounding international competitions, football and cricket are still valued quite differently by advertisers.
When you enter a sports bar in Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru during an El Clásico match or the Champions League final, the crowds stay far into midnight.Around key tournaments, fan groups for teams like Manchester United F.C., FC Barcelona, and Liverpool F.C. regularly host screenings, merchandise drops, and community events. That environment is amplified by the World Cup.
The tournament is more than simply a sporting event for bars and movie theatres. It is one of the few establishments that can consistently attract people at midnight on weekdays for a full month.
A usual game brings between 50–60 people, whereas marquee matches pull 400–500 attendees across various places, according to an organiser who routinely conducts football match screenings across pubs in Delhi-NCR, who spoke with ET Online. Over 3,000 individuals attended the largest showing, which took place at 18 locations."We expect 5–6 matches to draw significant viewership, especially towards the later stages of the tournament," the organiser stated while discussing expectations regarding FIFA screenings. Due to the time difference, group stage matches might not draw as many spectators.
The reason India is such a challenging market for FIFA is precisely this gap between obvious enthusiasm and poor monetisation.
Demand from the audience is not the issue. It is generating premium income from that demand.
And in the end, FIFA might have to make a tough decision: lower its standards or run the danger of being less visible in one of the remaining sizable regions where football viewership is still rising.The more significant query
The stakes are not limited to a single tournament cycle.
According to Reuters Breakingviews columnist Ka Sing Chan, FIFA anticipates making $8.9 billion this year, of which approximately $3.9 billion will come from TV rights. In order to reach new audiences and penetrate further into emerging areas, the 48-team model has been enlarged. However, if the World Cup itself has trouble finding clients in India, it presents awkward issues for the larger football industry.
Smaller football properties may face an even harsher reality if broadcasters are unwilling to pay top cash for the world's greatest athletic event.
FIFA maintains that talks are still ongoing and private for the time being. At the final minute, an agreement might yet be reached.The matter has even reached the Delhi High Court in India, where a petition has asked for orders to guarantee that the event is broadcast, including on free-to-air channels.
Regardless of whether a deal is made, the incident has already challenged a long-held belief in international sports media: that thriving digital marketplaces inevitably result in unrestricted expansion.
The viewers are in India. The fandom is present. The engagement is present.