48 teams. 104 matches. The biggest football tournament on the planet kicks off June 11.
And India still doesn’t have a single channel to broadcast it.
How Did This Even Happen?
FIFA wanted around $100 million for India’s broadcast rights covering 2026 and 2030 together. JioStar — the Reliance-Disney giant — offered $20 million. FIFA said no. Sony didn’t even bother with a serious bid.
So FIFA kept cutting the price. All the way down to $35 million. JioStar’s offer still wasn’t enough. Nobody blinked. No deal.
A fan actually took it to the Delhi High Court, asking Prasar Bharati (Doordarshan) to just step in as a public service. Prasar Bharati showed up and basically said — not our problem. Case withdrawn.
And here we are.
Why Didn’t Anyone Want It?
Because the math doesn’t work. Over 87% of the 104 matches kick off after 10 PM India time — North America’s time zones are brutal for us. Late nights mean smaller audiences, which means advertisers won’t pay. No ad money, no deal.
The 2022 Qatar World Cup made over ₹300 crore in ad revenue in India because the timings were perfect. That’s just not happening at 2 AM.
Broadcasters looked at the numbers and walked away. Which makes business sense. But it leaves every football fan in the country completely stranded.
So What Now?
Amazon Prime and YouTube have apparently been in talks. YouTube already has a FIFA deal that lets you watch the first 10 minutes of every game — which is honestly just cruel.
Most likely? Either someone does a last-minute deal this week, or millions of Indians spend the next month on a VPN. Which, let’s be honest, people are already prepared for.
The funny part? FIFA brought the World Cup trophy to India in January. Big event at a five-star hotel in Delhi, trophy tour, the works. Happy to market the tournament here. Just not at a price anyone would actually pay.
India is 1.4 billion people. The world’s most populous country. And FIFA’s biggest sporting event can’t find a single buyer here.
For a generation that grew up on FIFA PlayStation, late-night Premier League streams, and Mbappe Twitter arguments — this one stings.
