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Netflix and FIFA have agreed a deal for the streaming giant to have exclusive United States broadcasting rights to the next two FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments, global football’s governing body confirmed on Friday.
The 2027 edition of the World Cup is set for Brazil, while a host has not yet been finalised for the 2031 tournament. The U.S. is expected to make a bid.
FIFA unbundled media rights from the men’s bidding for the first time for the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups. Fox has the men’s World Cup deal through 2026, which cleared the way for FIFA’s separate bidding process for later events.
“This is a landmark moment for sports media rights,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said. “As a marquee brand and FIFA’s new long-term partner, Netflix has shown a very strong level of commitment to growing women’s football.
“This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game. FIFA and Netflix partnering together makes this a truly historic day for broadcasting and for women’s football.”
The deal announced Friday is the most significant FIFA has signed with a streaming service for a major tournament. No value was given, though international competitions in women’s football have struggled to draw high-value offers.
World Cups are typically broadcast on free-to-air public networks to reach the biggest audiences. The 32-team, 64-game tournament in 2027 will be played June 24-July 25 in Brazil.
A FIFA report published in 2019 said that 1.12 billion viewers watched the 2019 Women’s World Cup, which was won by the United States. The 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand recorded the highest-ever U.S. domestic viewership for a group stage match.
Spain won the 2023 event, after the U.S. had won in 2015 as well as 2019.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
