FIFA World Cup rights tenders open in France and central Asia

Source: FIFA

FIFA this week opened invitations to tender for media rights to the FIFA World Cup 26 and FIFA World Cup 2030 in France, Andorra and French overseas territories and for the 2026 event in the central Asian republics of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The 2026 tournament, the 23rd edition of the competition to be held in the US, Canada and Mexico, will feature an expanded line-up of 48 teams, playing in 16 cities in the three host countries, and will span a record 104 matches.

FIFA said that the expansion of the tournament will offer a greater chance for teams from all regions to qualify. Whereas previously the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has had only four or five qualification spots, the 2026 event will see at least eight AFC nations participate, with one additional AFC team potentially qualifying though the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.

There will also be more European teams present. UEFA will have three additional direct slots, taking its total allocation from 13 to 16 teams.

The location of the 2030 tournament is set to be decided by the FIFA Congress later in 2024. The 2030 tournament will mark 100 years since the first edition of the World Cup was held in Uruguay.

The bid submission deadline for France is 10:00 CET on Tuesday February 13.

The submission deadline for the central Asian republics is 10:00 CET on Tuesday January 30.

FIFA said its tender process would allow it to select the entity, or entities, that are best placed to secure the required transmission and programming commitments to achieve its objective of reaching the widest possible audience whilst providing a high-quality viewing experience.

The football body separately launched an invitation to tender for rights to the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024 in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Five-a-side Futsal is played on small hard-court pitches. A total of 24 teams from around the world will take part in the final tournament.