Netflix is considering entering the bidding for the US media rights to the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, adding another major streaming platform to an increasingly competitive market for football’s most valuable broadcast property.
According to Deadline, Netflix content chief Bela Bajaria is keen to remain in discussions with FIFA over the rights to the men’s tournaments. FIFA has already held preliminary talks over the US market, with Disney, YouTube and Fox also reported to be interested.
Amazon and Apple could also enter the race, potentially putting traditional broadcasters and technology companies head-to-head for one of the biggest live sports properties in the global market.
Netflix already has an established relationship with FIFA. The streaming platform holds the US and Canadian rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups, giving it an existing foothold in FIFA’s media portfolio.
Netflix wants more event-driven sports
Speaking at the Financial Times’ Business of Entertainment conference, Bajaria said Netflix has a “great relationship with FIFA” and indicated that the company remains interested in major sporting events capable of generating large, simultaneous audiences.
“We have a great relationship with FIFA,” Bajaria said, adding that Netflix is interested in sports events that feel particularly significant and capable of becoming major viewing occasions.
She also highlighted the company’s enthusiasm for the Women’s World Cup and said Netflix would continue to have conversations with FIFA.
The comments do not amount to a confirmed bid for the men’s World Cup rights, but they signal that Netflix is monitoring the opportunity as FIFA prepares its next US rights cycle.
World Cup rights battle moves beyond traditional TV
The potential involvement of Netflix underlines how the market for premium sports rights is changing.
The biggest properties are increasingly attracting competition from global streaming platforms and technology companies alongside traditional broadcasters. For these companies, live sport offers something that scripted entertainment cannot easily replicate: large audiences watching at the same time and creating appointment viewing.
The World Cup sits at the top end of that market.
For FIFA, however, the decision will not be based solely on the size of a rights fee. National regulations, free-to-air requirements and the potential impact of a paywalled audience on sponsors, commercial partners and the tournament’s global reach will also be important considerations.
A move towards a streaming-first distribution model could offer FIFA access to new digital audiences and potentially greater control over the presentation and distribution of its content. At the same time, a narrower paid audience could create challenges in markets where the World Cup has traditionally been available to the mass audience through free-to-air television.
2030 and 2034 rights could become a streaming test
The 2030 World Cup will be hosted primarily by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with centenary matches also taking place in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The 2034 tournament will be staged in Saudi Arabia.
The US rights negotiations for those tournaments could become an important test of how far FIFA is prepared to shift its most valuable media property towards global streaming platforms.
Netflix’s interest, alongside potential bids from Amazon and Apple and competition from established broadcasters and digital platforms, suggests that the next World Cup rights cycle could be significantly different from previous negotiations.
For Netflix, meanwhile, securing the men’s World Cup would represent a major expansion of its live sports strategy and give the platform access to one of the few sporting events capable of delivering a truly global audience at scale.