World Cup 2026: Indian Broadcast Rights Still Up in the Air as FIFA and Reliance-Disney Fail to Agree on Price

With only a few days left until the start of the Football World Cup, the schedule for the mega tournament has already been released. However, disappointment has set in because it is still not clear which channel in India will broadcast the matches. This time, Reliance-Disney has reportedly been hesitant about the high price.
FIFA had initially offered the broadcasting rights to Reliance-Disney in exchange for a specific amount of money. However, the organization reportedly found the price offered by FIFA to be too high. According to sources, no Indian company has yet agreed to broadcast the World Cup matches on television in India. This has led to growing doubts among football fans in India. Even though India’s national football team will not be playing, fans are eagerly waiting to support teams like Brazil, Argentina, France, and Spain. Fans have been looking forward to the 2026 World Cup and the 2030 World Cup for a long time.
For the first time, FIFA has decided to sell the broadcasting rights in India separately. Initially, the price was set at $100 million. In Indian currency, this amounts to approximately 800 crore rupees. However, since no organization showed interest in broadcasting at that price, FIFA was forced to reduce the base price to $35 million. Despite this reduction, the situation has not changed. Reliance-Disney reportedly has a budget of only $20 million. In Indian currency, this amount is approximately 190 crore rupees. This situation is not unique to India; China is reportedly facing a similar predicament.