FIFA and streaming giants Netflix have signed a historic exclusive broadcast deal in the U.S. for the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups.
The announcement means the FIFA Women's World Cup will be the first competition to be fully acquired by Netflix, which has trialed live sports on its platform this year, including tennis, boxing, and 2024 Christmas NFL games.
"This is a landmark moment for sports media rights," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "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.
"Besides broadcasting the tournaments themselves, Netflix will play a key role in terms of bringing the fascination of women's football to a multimillion audience in the lead-up to both final tournaments, thereby enabling us to further increase their appeal."
"I've seen the fandom for the FIFA Women's World Cup grow tremendously – from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019 to, most recently, the incredible energy we saw across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand last year," added Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria. "
"Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix isn't just about streaming matches, it's also about celebrating the players, the culture and the passion driving the global rise of women's sport."
Netflix will also produce an exclusive documentary series in the lead-up to both tournaments, which will give soccer fans access to the top stars in the women's game ahead of Spain's 2027 world title defense in Brazil, as well as their predecessors in 2031 should they fail to see off their rivals.
The host nation for the 2031 Women's World Cup is yet to be announced, but the U.S. is reportedly one of the countries hoping to win the bid to host the major tournament, with their USWNT one of the competition's most-feared and successful teams ever. For that tournament, FIFA is also set to expand to 48 teams, matching that of the men's competition in 2026, which will be held in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
The U.S. has won the most Women's World Cups with four. Last year, they missed out on a historic three-peat. The then-defending world champions were defeated by Sweden on penalties in the Round of 16.
Heading into 2027, the USWNT will be without several legends from their previous competition wins, including Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, who have both retired at international and club levels. It will also likely be the first World Cup for new head coach Emma Hayes, who is currently in charge of the reigning Olympic champions.
