Football World Cup 2030: Netflix acquires exclusive rights in the first major market
Netflix is expanding its live sports offering and has secured exclusive broadcast rights for the 2030 World Cup. The contract initially only applies to Spain and Andorra, but represents a big step in the sports rights market.
Netflix is streaming the 2030 World Cup
Netflix is continuing to expand its range of live sports and is now even venturing into the world’s largest team sports tournament. Loud Reuters The company acquired the broadcast rights for the 2030 Men’s World Cup on Tuesday. Although the contract is initially limited to Spain and Andorra, it shows the ambitions of the streaming service. The announcement will not result in any changes for viewers in Germany. Deutsche Telekom confirmed in July that all 104 games of the tournament would be shown on MagentaTV in this country (ARD and ZDF will probably purchase sub-licenses again). The financial conditions for the Spanish market have not yet been disclosed by the contracting parties.
The agreement in Spain covers the broadcast of all 104 games. The World Cup takes place mainly in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay are also playing opening games. The final is expected to take place in Madrid or Casablanca. In addition to the regular games, Netflix is planning an extensive supporting program. This includes broadcasts before games, during half-time breaks and after the final whistle, as well as daily summaries on match days. Despite the exclusive rights, not all encounters in Spain disappear behind a paywall. At least one game per match day should be available free of charge.
Netflix also makes a package with all of the Spanish national team’s games, the two semi-finals and the final available to a nationwide free TV channel. It is not yet clear which television station will broadcast these encounters. So far, national broadcaster TVE has shown the games from the 2026 World Cup in Spain, but declined to comment on possible bids.
Growing factor in the sports rights market
The entry into the market for international men’s soccer tournaments shows that Netflix is increasingly becoming a factor in the allocation of rights. In the USA and Canada, the company already has the rights for the 2027 Women’s World Cups in Brazil and 2031. The 2031 edition will be hosted by the USA together with Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. The provider also secured contracts for games in the American football league NFL and events in the wrestling organization WWE. The platform now also appears in the martial arts sector. Selected boxing matches and mixed martial arts events are on the program, including a fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua planned for December.
Priti Rajpoot is a technology journalist and contributor at ResearchSnipers, covering the latest in tech news, innovation, and digital trends across the world. From startups and AI to cybersecurity and consumer gadgets. She can be reached here: priti.r@researchsnipers.com
