FIFA opens up bidding for Club World Cup media rights

FIFA has launched an invitation to tender for media rights covering the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East & North Africa regions for its revamped Club World Cup, effectively ending its proposed broadcast rights deal with Apple.

The expanded men’s Club World Cup is set to take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025, and the subsequent 2029 edition.

Despite being less than a year away, FIFA has yet to finalise a media rights partner, host cities, or venues for the 2025 tournament.

But in a statement, FIFA said that this tender process will allow them “to select the entity, or entities, that are best placed to secure the required transmission and programming commitments on a global, regional, or territory-specific basis”. The deadline for bid submissions is August 20, 2024.

This move means that a global deal is now improbable, with rights likely to be sold market by market.

Apple had been linked with broadcast rights for the revamped Club World Cup. In April, the New York Times reported that they were on the brink of securing a broadcast agreement with FIFA, with an announcement anticipated soon. However, The Athletic reported on July 3 that the deal has either collapsed or was more “proposed” than “deal” in the first place.

Broadcast industry insiders had speculated for months that Apple was poised to become the primary broadcaster for the Club World Cup, with a deal to provide global streaming rights via Apple TV+. The proposed deal, rumoured to be under $1billion (£800m), was claimed to have represented a quarter of the initial target set by FIFA.

A FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic that they do not comment on deals until they are finalised, adding that their preference is to receive offers for either the 2025 Club World Cup alone or a combined bid for both the 2025 and 2029 editions, but not for 2029 alone.

Those familiar with the process suggested to The Athletic that FIFA has struggled to tempt traditional broadcasters to part with vast sums to show the Club World Cup. It is a new, expanded event and the piecemeal nature of teams securing qualification means it has not been clear which clubs and star names will actually be present, while the late announcement of venues has also not helped matters. Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and AC Milan are among the clubs who have not qualified.

Apple already has a broadcast deal with Major League Soccer (Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)

A person familiar with the broadcast industry revealed that a major U.S. media company was so skeptical about the competition’s value that it estimated the North American rights at around $30m. NBC, which airs the English Premier League, opted not to compete for the rights. However, Jon Miller, NBC’s president of acquisitions and partnerships, previously told The Athletic that they had considered acquiring Spanish-language rights for their Telemundo platform. Similarly, Fox Sports, the broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup, had not been involved in the bidding.

Apple’s interest in securing global rights aligned with its strategy of offering exclusive content to drive subscriptions for Apple TV+. This approach contrasts with the traditional model of fragmenting broadcast rights across various markets. For instance, the Premier League has sold rights to 40 companies in 97 countries for the 2022-2025 cycle, whereas Apple secured a $2.5bn deal over a decade for exclusive global access to MLS in 2022.

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The idea attracted criticism on X from Ricardo Fort, a former head of global sponsorships at Visa, who are a FIFA partner. He said: “A global sporting event behind a paywall will be a disaster for sponsors looking for visibility. Rich countries’ fans might be able to afford a new subscription, but that is not the reality of most countries. For the success of this event, there must be a free to air alternative.”

Speaking to The Athletic, Fort added: “For a global event, a great new tournament where they should be thinking about how to build interest and awareness around the world, a subscription-based product is not ideal, assuming the only access is by paying Apple.

“We don’t know yet for sure how that will play out. Maybe Apple opens up the service and that’s a different thing. But with what we know today, if you expect people in Latin America, Africa, lots of places in Asia to subscribe to a new service in order to have access to a new tournament, it is a problem. And that’s then going to be a challenge to charge the high fees for sponsors.”

The new Club World Cup format will see 32 top clubs divided into eight groups of four. Each club will play three group-stage matches, with the top teams advancing to the knockout rounds.

Matches are expected to primarily take place on the U.S. east coast to accommodate European television audiences. Notable venues under consideration include New York/New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium and Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

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(David Ramos – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)