France’s M6 wins FIFA World Cup 2026 & 2030 rights

French broadcaster M6 Group has won the free-to-air rights to the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 and the FIFA World Cup 2030 in France, Monaco, Andorra and the French overseas territories.

Source: FIFA

The deal sees M6 take over coverage of the highly anticipated football event from rival broadcaster TF1 which last aired the 2022 World Cup season.

According to the French press, M6 proposed a higher offer to the football body, which TF1 didn’t outbid.

It sees the World Cup return to M6 since its last coverage in 2006 and marks the first time the competition will not air on TF1 since 1975.

The 2026 World Cup edition will be held Canada, Mexico and the USA from June 11 to July 19 2026. The global football tournament will feature a record of 48 teams and 104 matches.

The 2030 World Cup host country is set to be decided by the FIFA Congress later this year, the only candidate is the joint bid from Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with one match in each of Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. It will mark 100 years since the first edition of the FIFA World Cup in Uruguay.

The deal comes ahead of the launch of the broadcaster’s new AVOD platform — M6+. The new streamer is designed to transform the way audiences in France engage with M6 content through more immersive features, delivering a more engaging TV experience, and a free content offering, as well as free devices.

M6 also said the new streaming service will strengthen its value proposition for advertisers and would be part of its programme of investment across content, distribution, technology and marketing over the next four years.

The company has committed to investing €100 million in covering streaming costs for the new platform, with a view to doubling its streaming revenues and the number of hours viewed by 2028. It expects the platform to break even in 2027.

M6 is already a broadcaster of UEFA Euro 2024, the Europa League until June 2024, the Champions League Final from 2025 to 2027 and will air matches for the French women’s football team until 2027.

“We are delighted with this historic agreement for Groupe M6 and to be able to host this legendary competition on our channels. This commitment reflects the group’s deep commitment to and leadership in sport,” said Nicolas de Tavernost, chairman of the executive board of Groupe M6.

Romy Gai, FIFA chief business officer, said: “FIFA is delighted to welcome Groupe M6 as the official free-to-air broadcaster of the expanded FIFA World Cup editions for 2026 and 2030. The agreement with the Groupe M6 will enable French viewers to enjoy free-to-air broadcasts of the main matches of these two global events. We are delighted with this long-term partnership with Groupe M6, which will undoubtedly contribute to the success and popularity of our flagship competitions in France.”