GENEVA (AP) — FIFA finally sealed a World Cup broadcast rights deal for China on Friday, just 27 days before the opening game and at a much lower reported price than the soccer body wanted.
The overall agreement with China Media Group covered the next four World Cups — two each of the men's and women's — through 2031, FIFA said in a statement. It includes the 48-team, 104-game men's tournament in North America starting on June 11 that China did not qualify for.
Chinese state-affiliated media reported on Friday the 2026 World Cup rights were valued at $60 million.
FIFA originally sought $300 million, Chinese media reported in recent weeks as the deadline to strike a deal drew closer.
A rights deal for India has not been confirmed.
“It’s a real pleasure that we have found an agreement with CMG,” FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström said in the soccer body’s statement. He was in China this week, also for meetings with officials from the Chinese soccer federation.
FIFA's leverage in China was less because of the time difference of up to 15 hours from Beijing to the 16 host cities spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Chinese companies have already made a big investment in the 2026 World Cup which is set to earn FIFA more than $11 billion.
Technology firm Lenovo is one of FIFA's eight top-tier sponsor partners, and second-tier deals were signed by dairy firm Mengniu and electronics manufacturer Hisense.
Chinese conglomerate Wanda signed a long-term deal with FIFA in 2016 which was terminated two years ago.
The value of the TV rights were not disclosed for the 2030 World Cup, which once might have been hosted by China and which Wanda said was part of its strategy with FIFA. The country's ambitions to host international soccer competitions stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2030 men's tournament will be mostly hosted in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with single games currently scheduled to be played in Argentina, Paraguay and the original 1930 World Cup host Uruguay.
The 2027 Women's World Cup will be played in Brazil and the 2031 World Cup mainly in the United States, along with Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica.
That hosting decision with no rival candidate is due to the confirmed in November by FIFA member federations.
AP Writer Didi Tang in Washington, D.C., contributed.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Join us to watch the last California Governor's Debate on Thursday, May 14 at Round Table Pi… Read moreCalifornia Governor's Debate Watch
San Mateo Bonsai Club - Bonsai Show Read moreSan Mateo Bonsai Club - Bonsai Show
Join New York Times bestselling author Caroline Paul for a lively discussion of her book Tou… Read moreBook Club with Author Caroline Paul
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.