FIFA faces a major broadcast crisis as negotiations stall in India and China ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

FIFA faces a major broadcast crisis as negotiations stall in India and China ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Reliance-Disney has offered only twenty million dollars for Indian rights, far below FIFA's expectations of sixty million or more, while Sony declined to bid. China's state broadcaster CCTV has yet to secure rights despite historically closing deals well in advance. These two nations combined represented over twenty-two percent of global digital streaming viewership during the 2022 tournament, making their absence a significant financial and viewership blow. With the tournament starting in just five weeks, FIFA faces unprecedented challenges in securing agreements and establishing broadcast infrastructure in its largest potential markets.