The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has expressed confidence that a broadcast deal will be reached for the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite the tournament being just 30 days away without a confirmed platform for Indian viewers.
While football fans across the country staying in the dark about where to watch the competitionAIFF deputy general secretary M Satyanarayan said the size of the Indian market made it almost impossible for FIFA or major broadcasters to ignore.
The current impasse is widely understood to be the result of a valuation gap between FIFA’s asking price and the bids submitted by Indian broadcasters. Reports suggest that while FIFA has lowered its original expectations, broadcasters are still hesitant to meet the current numbers.
“We are very optimistic that something will happen,” Satyanarayan told India Today.
“Either FIFA may have to go down a bit, or the broadcasters bidding for it may have to go up a bit. I don’t think anyone is going to ignore a huge market like India.”
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He noted that the commercial viability of the rights is likely affected by the logistics of the tournament. With the 2026 edition being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, most of the matches will start in the wee hours of the morning in India.
“Perhaps one of the reasons affecting the bids is the timing of the matches as most of the games will be played late at night,” noted Satyanarayan. “That might discourage broadcasters from bidding higher amounts. But I’m sure something will work out because we have many broadcasters in the country who understand the potential of the World Cup.”
CAN AIFF AFFECT IT?
Despite the approaching deadline, AIFF clarified that it cannot interfere in the negotiations. As a national governing body, its remit is limited to the administration of sport rather than acquiring or subsidizing commercial media rights.
“It is purely a commercial matter,” specified the Deputy Secretary General. “The role of the AIFF is to run football in the country. We don’t have the financial capacity to step in and contribute commercially. It’s just not possible.”
He further stressed that the federation lacks the “bandwidth” to persuade broadcasters to increase their bids or influence FIFA’s internal pricing models.
MARKET POTENTIAL
The absence of an agreement has raised fears of a possible fallout, but the AIFF pointed to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as evidence of the country’s appetite for the sport. During this tournament, India provided the highest number of traveling fans of any country that did not qualify for the event.
“We all know how excited the whole country is during the World Cup,” Satyanarayan said, rejecting suggestions that lack of interest was the cause of the delay. “It’s more about the commercial side of things. There has to be a meeting point between broadcasters interested in showing matches and FIFA’s expectations of value.”
With about a month to go until the opening match on June 11, the window for marketing and technical preparation is narrowing. However, the AIFF says FIFA is unlikely to leave the Indian market untapped.
“I am sure FIFA understands the importance of markets like India and China. They would not want to deprive fans in those countries of watching the World Cup,” Satyanarayan said. “There is still time and I am sure something will happen.
For now, Indian football fans have to wait for a breakthrough in negotiations between FIFA and the country’s leading sports networks to ensure that the world’s most watched sporting event is broadcast nationally.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
07 May 2026 15:19 IST
