Overview
- FIFA launched the Invitation to Tender on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, set bids to be filed by Nov. 19, and intends to pick a U.S. media partner before the end of the year.
- The governing body is asking for flexible offers that can be single-company deals, joint bids, separate linear and streaming packages, or combined bundles.
- FIFA stated a preference — not a requirement — that one partner hold both English- and Spanish-language U.S. rights to avoid audience fragmentation between broadcasters.
- Legacy networks such as Fox, NBCUniversal/Telemundo and ESPN are expected to compete with streamers and tech platforms including Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and Apple, with market estimates of $1.5 billion to $2 billion for the rights.
- FIFA says it will require that a set number of matches remain free-to-view if a streaming service wins, which could force sublicensing to broadcast channels or free tiers and will shape how bidders price and structure offers.