FIFA’s invitation to tender for the 2030 World Cup media rights in the United States and Puerto Rico has put broadcasters and streaming companies on notice. Interested companies can also bid for rights to the 2034 tournament, turning the process into a potentially major long-term opportunity.
The United States is one of the most commercially valuable media markets in the world. With football’s audience growing and the next World Cups expected to attract enormous attention, the competition for coverage rights could be intense. Traditional television networks may face bids from global streaming platforms looking to make live sport a bigger part of their services.
Audience figures from the 2026 tournament help explain the appeal. Football Today reported an average of 13.5 million viewers per match across linear television and streaming, up 166 percent compared with Qatar 2022. Each match featuring the United States drew more than 20 million viewers, while the final between Spain and Argentina reportedly averaged 63 million.
Those numbers point to the scale of the audience that a rights-holder could reach. They also offer streaming services a chance to attract new subscribers, encourage existing customers to stay and sell advertising around high-profile matches. A World Cup package spanning one or more tournaments could become a defining part of a platform’s sports strategy.
Netflix’s sports ambitions are growing
Netflix is among the companies that may draw attention as bids take shape. The service has already moved into live sport and major event programming, including NFL and MLB broadcasts. It has also secured the rights to show every match from the 2030 tournament in Spain and Andorra, according to the supplied report.
That agreement signals Netflix’s willingness to compete for major football audiences. Securing rights in the United States and Puerto Rico would give the company another opportunity to expand its sports offering in a market where live events can bring viewers together at the same time.
A full season of a league can require substantial investment and long-term commitments. Major tournaments offer a different proposition: a concentrated run of events, with a clear start and finish and worldwide attention. Analyst Peter Scrimgeour described Netflix’s Spain and Andorra deal as a significant step in European sports rights. He also pointed to the appeal of the host market and the potential value of a tournament featuring the reigning world champions.
In his assessment, Netflix’s approach centres on high-profile events that can make an immediate impact. Such rights could help the platform gain subscribers, reduce cancellations and support advertising revenue without the costs and operational demands associated with covering a full league season.
There has also been speculation about whether Netflix could eventually pursue English Premier League rights in the United Kingdom. No such move is guaranteed, but the company’s recent activity has encouraged questions about how far its sports ambitions might extend.
Sports coverage now includes more than matches
Competition is also expanding beyond live action. Football-related podcasts, studio shows and documentaries give platforms ways to reach fans between match days and across the season.
Disney+ has entered this space through a deal with Gary Neville’s football media brand, The Overlap, which includes the talk show Stick to Football. Netflix has also acquired rights to Gary Lineker’s The Rest is Football podcast. The show discusses major football stories and publishes daily episodes during the World Cup, with a twice-weekly schedule during the season.
These programmes can help a platform build a broader relationship with fans. Viewers may tune in for a match, then stay for analysis, interviews and discussion. For media companies, that additional programming can give sports coverage a longer life than the event itself.
The shift also reflects how audiences consume football. Many fans now watch, listen and follow highlights across a mix of television, apps and social platforms. Streaming services can bring several formats together in one place, while established broadcasters continue to rely on their live coverage and familiar sports channels.
More choice may come with higher expectations
Rising subscription costs for services such as Sky Sports and TNT Sports have created pressure on household budgets. Streaming platforms may attract viewers seeking different packages or flexible ways to watch, although the cost of multiple subscriptions can also add up.
If streaming companies win more major rights, they will need to show investors that those investments pay off. A large audience during a tournament is only part of the equation. Platforms will also need to turn event viewers into lasting customers and keep their services appealing after the final whistle.
For fans, greater competition could mean more ways to watch and more football-related content to choose from. But the effect on coverage quality remains an open question. Fragmented rights could require viewers to subscribe to several services, while providers may face pressure to control production costs.
The race for the 2030 World Cup rights will show how willing streaming companies are to challenge traditional broadcasters in one of sport’s biggest markets. Whoever wins will inherit a huge audience—and the task of keeping those viewers engaged long after the tournament ends.
