Official Agreement Between FIFA and China Guarantees One Billion Viewers for the 2026 World Cup

In a move that reflects the growing importance of the Chinese market for global football, FIFA announced the signing of a new broadcasting agreement with China Media Group to transmit Men’s and Women’s World Cup tournaments within China until 2031.

Under the agreement, as stated on the official FIFA website, China Media Group will broadcast the 2026 and 2030 Men’s World Cup matches, along with the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cup editions, giving hundreds of millions of Chinese fans direct access to the biggest global football tournaments.

China and FIFA agreement

FIFA Secretary General, Mattias Grafström, described the agreement as a “source of great pride,” emphasizing that China represents one of the most important global football markets due to the growing public passion for the game.

Grafström pointed out that the 2026 edition will be “historic” as the first to feature 48 teams, confirming that the partnership with the Chinese group will help provide an advanced broadcasting experience and reach new youth segments through digital platforms.

The agreement is an extension of a decades-long relationship between the two parties and coincides with efforts led by the Chinese Football Association to develop local football, especially at the youth level, with direct support from FIFA.

These efforts were recently boosted by the qualification of China’s U-17 Boys’ and Girls’ teams for the age-group World Cup tournaments, in addition to the recent visits of Jill Ellis and Arsène Wenger to China to support development and cooperation plans with the local association.

This agreement puts an end to the uncertainty that had surrounded the broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup inside China, which had previously threatened to deprive nearly one billion Chinese citizens from watching one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

According to FIFA, the agreement is part of a broader strategy to enhance the media reach of major tournaments in global markets with high fan density.

Featured image via Jayne Russell/Getty Images

By Alaa Shamali

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