FIFA issue statement with millions of people unable to watch World Cup games

FIFA have commented after reports emerged indicating that two of the world's most popular nations could be unable to watch the World Cup this summer.

The showpiece gets underway on 11 June with Mexico's clash against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, the first of 104 games in the 48-team tournament across North America.

But just weeks before the action kicks off and there are still no broadcasting rights in both India and China, two of the most populated countries in the world.

Although neither nation qualified for the tournament, there is a huge interest in the global football event - with China said to have been responsible for 49.8 percent of all hours of viewing on digital and social platforms at the 2022 World Cup.

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But while FIFA has broadcasting agreements in 175 territories across the globe, there is no such deal in place for India or China and a blackout could be on the cards.

According to Reuters, who cited two sources, FIFA viewed a $20 million joint offer from Reliance and Disney as an unacceptable sum for the broadcasting rights in India. They were reportedly initially looking for $100 million but were forced to reduce its asking price.

Gianni Infantino holds the World Cup. Image: Getty

Sony, meanwhile, expressed interest in purchasing rights but did not follow it up with any kind of proposal.

In the 2018 and 2022 editions, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV was the home of World Cup coverage through its streaming services but there has been no agreement struck this time around.

A statement from FIFA on the situation said: “Discussions in China and India regarding the sale of media rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 are ongoing and must remain confidential at this stage."

It's said that linear, digital and social content around the last World Cup reached a whopping 1.16 billion people in China and 746 million in India.

In terms of TV reach, they contributed a combined 20.6 per cent globally.

But even if a deal is struck imminently, both countries and their networks have not been afforded much time to promote their coverage for the event and there is a worry that viewership would be negatively impacted as a result.

In addition, there is even a fear that no broadcasting deal would encourage piracy and illegal streaming in the aforementioned countries.

FIFA have lucrative deals in place with TikTok and YouTube - the latter becoming a "preferred partner" and allowing media partners to livestream the first 10 minutes of every match and select amount of full games on their channels foe for the first time.