FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcast Rights Remains Unsold In India; Prasar Bharati Clarifies Stance To Delhi High Court

Public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati informed the Delhi High Court today that it holds no legal responsibility to acquire the broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India. The submission came during a hearing presided over by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, regarding a public interest petition that sought to compel the public broadcaster to ensure free-to-air access to the mega sporting event.

The plea, moved by advocate Avdhesh Bairwa, expressed urgency ahead of the tournament's kickoff on June 11 in North America. Pointing to India’s massive football fandom—which recorded over 745 million digital interactions during the 2022 edition—the petition argued that a failure to telecast the matches would violate the public's fundamental right to receive information.

However, with no local media rights officially locked in yet, India's broadcast landscape for the tournament remains uncertain. Reports highlight that FIFA even lowered its valuation for the Indian market's combined 2026 and 2030 media packages from $100 million to $35 million, recently turning down a $20 million bid from JioStar.

Following Prasar Bharati’s clear stance that acquiring commercial properties like the FIFA World Cup does not fall under its mandated obligations, the petitioner ultimately chose to withdraw the plea. Represented by Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar, the petitioner was granted liberty by the High Court to seek alternative legal remedies through other courts.

As the June deadline inches closer, Indian football fans are left waiting to see which platform, if any, will step up to rescue the tournament's broadcasting future in the country.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Face Broadcast Crisis In Subcontinent

The legal battle highlights a larger, unprecedented crisis across the Indian subcontinent, where media rights for the tournament remain entirely unsold less than a month before kickoff. Major regional broadcasters have balked at FIFA’s steep financial demands, compounded by a challenging 15-hour time difference from North America that pushes live matches into early morning slots local time.

In stark contrast, FIFA successfully broke its Asian broadcast deadlock last week by finalizing a major deal with China Media Group (CMG). To secure the market, however, football's governing body had to accept severe financial concessions, settling for a reported $60 million for the 2026 rights—a massive drop from the $300 million FIFA initially targeted.

While Chinese fans are now guaranteed multi-platform coverage via state broadcaster CCTV, the subcontinent remains entirely in limbo.