By Mark Baber
February 19 – The award of the US broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup to Fox and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo – they also hold rights to 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar – has raised a storm in US media circles.
ESPN and Univision are furious that FIFA did not engage them in any bidding process of even discuss the issue with them, despite the two channels having partnered FIFA for previous world cups (ESPN since 1994, Univision since 1990) and a host for the 2026 edition (which may be the USA) not having been chosen.
John Skipper, president of ESPN, said: “We heard the news yesterday with the press release FIFA sent out. It’s a less than ideal way for a former partner to hear about it.”
ESPN’s statement was curt and to the point: “We were not invited to be involved in this process. Considering the high quality presentation that ESPN demonstrated and the exposure we brought to FIFA events through all our platforms, it was surprising and disappointing to learn of this when the press release was issued.”
Univision issued a statement saying: “We were not invited to participate in the process and find it curious that FIFA would think keeping the No. 1 Hispanic media company in the U.S. out of a competitive bidding process is good for the growth of soccer in the U.S.”
FIFA were less than forthcoming about the reasons for the decision saying, “FIFA constantly reviews and monitors global market conditions for sports media rights in order to make the best decision for each market.” And that the extensions “were the result of a detailed assessment of the market and discussions with the relevant broadcasters.”
No figures have been released for the value of the extension, but Fox is paying about $425 million for the 2018 tournament in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
NBC were, of course, delighted with the extension, which includes the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 and 2025, FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 and 2025, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2023 and 2025, FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024, FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2024 and 2026, FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024 and 2026, and FIFA Confederations Cup 2025.
In their statement the broadcaster said: “We’re very pleased that FIFA allowed us to extend our deal as the exclusive US Spanish-language broadcaster of FIFA World Cup™ tournaments through 2026. This unprecedented agreement gives our Telemundo and NBC UNIVERSO viewers and digital consumers more of the world’s best soccer for the next twelve years.”
The primary factor behind the deal seems likely to be the upcoming confirmation that the Qatar tournament in 2022 is to be moved from the summer to November/December, which will mean tournament coverage will be competing with NFL, NBA and NHL games. The extension of rights to the 2026 tournament to Fox looks like appeasement for acceptance of this contingency and has obvious benefits in preventing possible legal action and keeping Murdoch’s global organisation fully on board for the World Cups in Russia and Qatar.
The FIFA task force looking at dates for the Qatar tournament is meeting next week, with FIFA’s executive committee set to formally decide on the issue in March. The deal with Murdoch, much to the chagrin of ESPN and Univision, removes a major potential stumbling block for FIFA in its efforts to minimise any commercial damage caused by the decision to hold the World Cup in Qatar.
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