WITH THE CLOCK TICKING down for the kick-off of FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 11, and with India yet to confirm a broadcast partner for the tournament, national broadcaster Doordarshan could well turn out to be the “last fallback” for fans in the country, at least for marquee matches such as the semi-finals and final.
While FIFA has finalised broadcast agreements across more than 175 territories, India, along with China, remains among the few major markets where rights are yet to be awarded.
Another option for FIFA to consider is streaming all matches of the World Cup on its digital platform FIFA+. Seen from this perch however, a more likely scenario looks to be streaming on FIFA+ in India and allowing free-to-air telecast of marquee matches for a “nominal fee”.
