CCTV secures 2026 FIFA World Cup broadcasting rights

China Central Television (CCTV) has secured the broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following months of tough negotiations, according to multiple media reports on Friday.

Multiple industry insiders confirmed on Friday that CCTV and FIFA have reached a formal agreement on rights acquisition with a reported total price of $110 million for the expanded edition of the FIFA marquee tournament, ending a lengthy standstill between the state broadcaster and the international governing body due to disputes on financial terms.

According to Chinese media reports, CCTV had turned down FIFA’s initial offer worth $250-300 million, a figure far exceeding CCTV’s budget and the network’s estimation of the tournament’s commercial value in a country, where its national team did not qualify for the 48-nation Cup finals.

FIFA sent a high-level delegation led by Secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom to Beijing this week to meet with Chinese Football Association officials and support local youth development programs. Although Grafstrom has never made any public response to the negotiation of the media rights, his visit was believed to have helped secured the deal with CCTV.

The 2026 World Cup will kick off on June 11 with a total number of 104 matches to be jointly held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The majority of the matches will be broadcast live on late night and early morning in China, making it an unfavorable scheduling for TV commercials.

As China’s flagship public service broadcaster, CCTV has long held exclusive free-to-air World Cup broadcast rights for the Chinese mainland. The latest deal, which is expected to be officially announced on Sunday, has eased off Chinese fans’ earlier concerns that they would miss the live coverage of the 2026 tournament at home.

Industry analysts said the hard-fought rights deal sets a vital precedent for sports media rights pricing in China. CCTV’s stance of rejecting an inflated staggering fee not only safeguards reasonable commercial interests for domestic broadcasters but also pushes FIFA to adopt more market-oriented and regionally-tailored pricing strategies for the world’s second-largest sports media market, according to insiders.