Fox and Telemundo on Thursday added the '26 FIFA World Cup to their U.S. rights to broadcast the '18 and '22 editions of the tournament, as the nets extended their deals without any "bidding with competing networks," according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Fox and NBCU-owned Telemundo had previously "agreed to pay" about $400M and $600M, respectively, for the next two tourneys. An ESPN exec said that the company, which had bid on the '18 and '22 rights, "had received no advance warning" that the '26 rights were being sold. Sandomir notes by agreeing to add the '26 rights, it "is possible that the two networks received a financial break by agreeing to a potential move of the 2022 World Cup from the extreme heat of the Qatari summer to the winter." FIFA also "extended its deal" to '26 in Canada with CTV and TSN. FIFA TV Dir Niclas Ericson "did not address what, if any, financial adjustments were made to please the networks" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/13). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Matthew Futterman cites sources as saying that FIFA "is expected to move ahead as soon as next month with a process that will switch the 2022 World Cup from June-July to November-December of that year." That schedule "puts the tournament in the middle of the NFL season, as well as during the first months of the fall television season." While the media contract with FIFA "didn't obligate the organization to holding the World Cup in June-July, media partners were said to be unhappy with the prospect of the switch" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/13).
ULTERIOR MOTIVES? YAHOO SPORTS' Leander Schaerlaeckens wrote nobody "saw this coming," as there "had been no talk about the TV rights to the next round of World Cups ... being available for bidding." The previous rights agreement came after "much buzz and speculation as ESPN (then the incumbent rights holder), NBC and FOX battled it out for soccer's foremost television property" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/12). BUSINESS INSIDER's Tony Manfred wrote it is "not a surprise that Fox will broadcast the tournament," but it is a "shock that FIFA awarded them the rights 11 years in advance without a bidding war with ESPN and NBC" (BUSINESSINSIDER.com, 2/12).
PICK '26: SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote this "is a huge development given speculation" that the U.S. is "a possible candidate" to host the '26 World Cup (SI.com, 2/12). The AP's Rachel Cohen noted the location of the '26 World Cup "has yet to be decided," but the tournament "would be particularly attractive to the U.S. and Canadian broadcasters if it were held in the Americas because of the favorable time zones." The "dream scenario for those networks" is a World Cup in the U.S. For now, "though, FIFA hasn't even announced when it will pick the host country" (AP, 2/12).
