From Morocco to America: who holds the broadcasting rights

FIFA have opened the biggest bidding process in their history, putting the broadcasting rights for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups up for grabs in the single most important market of all: the United States of America. The move will redraw the map of global sports broadcasting.

The governing body launched the official invitation to tender today, Thursday, covering media rights for both tournaments across the United States and Puerto Rico.

The competition is currently open for the 2030 rights, FIFA explained in a statement, with an additional option handing the winner the right to broadcast the 2034 edition too. It's a double deal that could be worth billions of dollars.

FIFA say they are open to "innovative methods" to reach wide audiences, a clear nod towards the giants of digital broadcasting and streaming platforms. The deadline for bids is 19 November.

The end of the Fox and Telemundo monopoly

Fox held the exclusive English-language rights in the United States for the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, while Telemundo took the Spanish-language rights.

The astronomical figures from the last tournament have changed all the calculations. According to FIFA, average viewership of the 2026 World Cup matches on television and internet platforms in the United States hit 13.5 million. That's a huge increase of 166% on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, turning the upcoming rights into a genuine treasure.

History awaits in 2030. Spain, winners of the 2026 title, will co-host the tournament alongside Portugal and Morocco, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay stage opening matches to celebrate the competition's centenary. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, have been chosen to host the 2034 World Cup.

Netflix enters the battle early

Just how fierce this fight could get was clear earlier this week. Netflix announced they had landed the broadcasting rights to the 2030 World Cup in Spain and Andorra, the first major breakthrough for streaming platforms in the history of the World Cup. It opens the door to a similar scenario in the United States.