Huge World Cup Ratings Set Up Streaming Bidding War For 2030, 2034

Huge World Cup ratings are setting up a bidding war for the 2030 and 2034 tournament TV rights, with major streaming and media companies competing for FIFA’s combined English- and Spanish-language package across two cycles. The current World Cup produced record U.S. audiences, including 42 million total viewers for Belgium’s round-of-16 win over the USMNT, where Fox broadcast and streaming drew about 30 million viewers after paying $485 million for the English-language U.S. rights. Fox and Comcast incumbents face financial complexities from acquisitions and planned spin-offs, while tech players such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Fox, and Google’s YouTube are linked to the U.S. auction. FIFA estimates the U.S. rights could reach $1.5 billion to $2 billion, with stakes heightened by different match timing in future Europe/South America and Saudi Arabia sites.