FIFA (https://www.FIFA.com) has launched two separate invitations to tender (ITT) in Australia for the media rights to the FIFA World Cup 26™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™. The respective tenders also allow for the opportunity to bid for the FIFA World Cup 2030™ and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2031™.
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be the 23rd edition of the competition and will be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the USA. With iconic venues, passionate supporters and a wealth of experience in delivering world-class entertainment events, the host nations will provide an unrivalled platform to celebrate the game and its ability to connect and inspire people around the world.
The new-look tournament will be the biggest FIFA World Cup™ ever, with a total of 104 matches spread over an extended competition window of five-and-a-half weeks. It will also be the first to feature 48 teams, thereby offering nations a greater chance to qualify than ever before. At least eight AFC teams will participate at the finals, with the potential for another AFC team to qualify through the FIFA intercontinental play-off tournament. Australia’s Socceroos have qualified for every FIFA World Cup since 2006 and enjoyed their joint best performance ever in 2022, reaching the knockout stage before being eliminated by eventual winners Argentina.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (https://apo-opa.info/3s66vIl) is currently taking place in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, with the final set to be played on Sunday, 20 August at Stadium Australia in Sydney/Wangal. The expanded 32-team tournament has been a resounding success, with exciting matches and unexpected results demonstrating the increasing competitiveness of women’s football globally.
The tournament has generated unprecedented support from fans across the host nations, with record attendances and over 1.76 million tickets sold. Australia’s Matildas have shown their prowess and won the hearts of the nation, leading to record match audiences for local broadcasters. The bidding process for the 2027 edition of the tournament is already underway, with the host(s) expected to be announced in May 2024.
The tender processes will allow FIFA to select those entities who are best placed to secure the required transmission and production commitments to achieve FIFA’s objectives of reaching the widest possible audience whilst providing a high-quality viewing experience for fans.
Entities wishing to participate in either or both of the tender processes can request the ITTs by emailing Australiamediarights@fifa.org.
The bid submission deadline in each case is 10:00 (CEST) on Tuesday, 19 September 2023.
Through the sale of media rights for its football tournaments, FIFA generates income that is essential to support and develop the game worldwide, including through the FIFA Forward Programme (https://apo-opa.info/3sefBTC).
