India Seals World Cup 2026 Broadcasting Rights Deal – FIFA Slashes Summer Discount

India has successfully concluded negotiations for broadcasting rights to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with the deal estimated at approximately $30-35 million USD (roughly 980-1,100 million baht). FIFA made substantial efforts to secure agreements with India and China, two countries not participating in the tournament finals. Should FIFA fail to reach these markets, it would miss the opportunity to reach nearly half the world's population, as these two nations account for over 35% of the global population, approximately 2.6 billion people or one-third of the world. Earlier, FIFA already closed a deal with China, slashing the broadcasting rights price for the 2026-2030 World Cups by 80%, selling to China Media Group for approximately $60 million USD (around 2,000 million baht), down from FIFA's initial asking price of $300 million USD (roughly 10 billion baht). Latest reports indicate FIFA has sealed the India deal and will make an official announcement soon. Chaji Prabhakarun, former secretary-general of the Indian Football Federation, revealed: "Big news for Indian football fans! The wait is over. Negotiations are complete, and the official announcement of the 2026 World Cup broadcasting partner in India is expected within the next week!" FIFA initially valued the broadcasting rights package for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups in India at approximately $100 million USD (around 3,500 million baht). However, due to lack of interest from media service providers, the valuation was revised down to nearly $35 million USD (around 1,200 million baht).