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FIFA Prepares Its 2030 Wish List

With the overperforming World Cup headed into its final (and probably thrilling) stretch, FIFA is seemingly in the catbird seat in negotiating rights deals for 2030 and 2034. And while there is no shortage of suitors, there are surprisingly few details, and a time-zone penalty that makes viewership and rights fees next to impossible to predict.

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Lionel Messi
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates with teammates during the FIFA World Cup 2026. Photo: Elsa / Getty Images
John Ourand
July 9, 2026

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It’s easy to see why so many media companies—Fox, Netflix, Disney, YouTube, etcetera—would be interested in bidding for the rights to air the World Cup tournaments in 2030 (Morocco, Portugal, Spain) and 2034 (Saudi Arabia), respectively. U.S. television viewership from this year’s tournament has thus far rivaled the NFL playoffs on a per-match basis. England’s win over Mexico on Sunday drew 44.8 million U.S. viewers—21.7 million on Fox and 23.1 million from Telemundo/Peacock. Numbers for the U.S. national team’s disastrous loss to Belgium were even bigger: 46 million viewers—33.1 million on Fox and 12.9 million on Telemundo/Peacock.

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