FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcast Rights in India Near Finalisation, Official Announcement Expected Soon

Taking to the social media platform X, Prabhakaran declared that the long-standing uncertainty surrounding the tournament’s broadcast availability in India is close to resolution. He wrote that the negotiations were finalised and the official announcement of the broadcasting partner for India is expected next week. He further assured fans that the tournament will be fully accessible across the country, describing it as the biggest World Cup in history and urging supporters to prepare for the global event.

Prabhakaran, recognised as a prominent figure in the sports industry, is also the founder and president of the Association for Sports Industry Professionals. The organisation operates under the Khel India Sports Foundation, a non-profit body focused on promoting grassroots sports development, empowering women in sports, and enhancing the professional growth of its members while contributing to the broader sports industry ecosystem.

The announcement comes amid growing uncertainty in recent months regarding the availability of FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage in India. Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court issued notices to the Union Government and Prasar Bharati during a hearing on a public interest petition seeking directions to ensure live broadcast of the tournament, particularly through free-to-air public platforms such as Doordarshan and DD Sports.

The petition, filed by advocate Avdhesh Bairwa under Article 226 of the Constitution, was heard by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, who issued notices to the respondents. The plea highlighted that despite the FIFA World Cup 2026 scheduled from June 11 to July 19, 2026, no broadcaster in India had secured the media rights at the time of filing, raising concerns that millions of fans could be deprived of access to one of the world’s most-watched sporting events.

It was further argued in the petition that FIFA had initially valued the broadcasting rights package for India for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups at approximately 100 million United States dollars. However, due to lack of commercial interest from broadcasters, the value was later reduced to nearly 35 million United States dollars, yet no final agreement had been reached at that stage.

The plea also emphasised that the FIFA World Cup had already been officially notified as a sporting event of national importance under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act of 2007. It asserted that such a notification places an obligation on the authorities to ensure public access to the event through mandated broadcasting provisions.

Against this backdrop, Prabhakaran’s statement indicating the imminent announcement of the official broadcasting partner has been received as a significant development for football enthusiasts in India, potentially resolving months of uncertainty surrounding access to the global tournament.