FIFA is preparing to seek as much as $4 billion for the U.S. media rights to the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, according to a Wall Street Journal report out Monday. This will set the stage for what could become one of the largest sports media rights auctions in history.
According to the Journal, FIFA is expected to launch a competitive bidding process for the next English and Spanish-language rights packages, with broadcasters Fox and Telemundo likely to face competition from ESPN along with streaming companies like Amazon, Netflix and YouTube.
The forthcoming negotiations follow a record-setting 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, that delivered the largest English-language TV audiences in tournament history for Fox Sports while generating strong viewership across Telemundo’s Spanish-language coverage.
The next rights cycle should be substantially more competitive than the last. Fox secured the English-language rights to the 2026 tournament without an open auction after FIFA renegotiated its media agreements following the scheduling disruption caused by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was played during the fall instead of the traditional summer window.
The media landscape has shifted dramatically since then, with tech companies expanding their live sports portfolios in an effort to attract subscribers and ad dollars. The World Cup remains one of the few premium global sports properties still expected to come to market in the coming years.
Whether FIFA reaches its reported $4 billion target remains to be seen. The 2030 tournament will primarily be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Saudi Arabia is set to host in 2034, which could create a more complex viewing window for American audiences as opposed to this summer’s North America-based games.
Still, the success of the expanded 2026 tournament is expected to strengthen FIFA’s negotiating position as media companies weigh the value of one of sports’ biggest events.
