With 48 teams and 104 matches, the 2026 World Cup is the biggest World Cup to date, which is precisely why media rights and streaming are becoming the key economic factor of the tournament. Content is no longer distributed solely on free-to-air television and pay TV, but increasingly through video-on-demand services, social media platforms and new creator models.
As the central rights holder, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) manages the global media rights and markets them worldwide in various packages. In addition to TV rights, this also includes radio, mobile and internet rights; sublicences are often available as well.
MagentaTV secures rights to all 104 matches
In Germany, Telekom has secured the rights to all 104 matches through MagentaTV. The tender for media rights began in early 2025; applications were accepted until February. However, thanks to a sublicensing agreement with ARD and ZDF, 60 matches will still be shown on free-to-air television. Since the 2021 European Championship, Telekom has been broadcasting every game of all major World Championships and European Championships. However, only a small proportion of the matches have been shown exclusively to date. Most of them were also broadcast on ARD or ZDF, and some on RTL as well. The proportion of exclusive MagentaTV matches has now risen to over 40 %. 44 of the 104 matches will be shown exclusively on MagentaTV.
The agreement between ARD/ZDF and Telekom is part of a swap. In return, ARD and ZDF are granting Telekom a sublicence for audiovisual exploitation rights to the 2028 European Championship in the UK and Ireland. Although a price of EUR 152 million was reported (including by the FAZ (€)), it has not been officially confirmed by the parties involved.
A look at the DACH region reveals that in Austria, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) and ServusTV will broadcast all 104 matches, with ORF having sublicensed half of them to ServusTV. In Switzerland, Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) will broadcast all 104 matches.
Free-to-air TV still legally protected despite paywall
The sublicence is not simply the result of a voluntary agreement. For certain games, it is also a legal requirement. Section 13 German Interstate Media Treaty (MStV) stipulates that events of significant public interest may not be broadcast on television exclusively on pay TV. For the World Cup, this includes all matches involving Germany, as well as the opening match on 11 June 2026, the semi-finals on 14 and 15 July 2026, and the final on 19 July 2026. In addition, section 14 MStV guarantees the right to brief news coverage.
Big screen events still a tricky legal issue
It is not only the licensing of media partners that raises legal issues. Big screen events in restaurants, bars and other public venues also remain a tricky legal issue – precisely because the majority of the matches are not freely available but are behind MagentaTV’s paywall. With regard to copyright issues, section 87 (1) no.3 German Copyright Act (UrhG) suggests that free big screen events may, in any event, be entitled to a special status as a matter of principle, since the broadcaster is only entitled to the exclusive right to reproduce broadcasts for which an admission fee is charged. Economic factors such as higher food or drink prices, minimum consumption requirements or sponsorship can further complicate the classification. Section 87 UrhG generally applies to pay TV broadcasts as well. However, contractual restrictions on use imposed by providers may apply, meaning that, depending on the circumstances, contractual and copyright issues must be kept separate.
Further uncertainty arises from the basic signal – that is, the world feed – which the event organisers make available to licensees. It consists of live footage of the match, background noise, on-screen graphics and video clips, which have not been edited by the broadcaster in question. In its judgment of 14 December 2021 (11 U 53/21), Frankfurt am Main Higher Regional Court granted this basic signal copyright protection as a cinematographic work. The court based its finding that it qualifies as a work of authorship primarily on the video control and the multitude of technically possible ways of depicting a football match. However, this is precisely what is often criticised: It is by no means a given that the choice of cameras and angles alone provides sufficient creative scope for an individual work.
If this view were to prevail, big screen events might require a licence in many cases, and the exemption provided for in section 87 UrhG would lose its significance in practice: This is because the producer would be entitled to protect virtually all football broadcasts if the basic signal were protected by copyright in its own right as a cinematographic work.
TikTok and YouTube are expanding media rights and streaming to incorporate platform logic
FIFA has long since moved beyond relying solely on traditional channels such as pay TV or free-to-air TV; instead, it is tapping into new marketing channels and a hybrid media model through platform partnerships. TikTok is an official partner of the 2026 World Cup. The contract is said to have been signed in January 2026. Plans include more original content, exclusive behind-the-scenes insight, a global creator programme and interactive features such as stickers, filters and gamification elements. "This is an innovative and creative collaboration that will connect more fans across the globe to the FIFA World Cup in unprecedented ways, bringing them behind the curtain and closer to the action than ever before." "As football grows and evolves – uniting an increasing number of people – so should the way it is shared and promoted," said FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström regarding the partnership with TikTok. According to James Stafford, Global Head of Content at TikTok, the platform is also having a measurable impact on live usage: Users who consume sports content on TikTok are 42 % more likely to tune in to live matches as well. This builds on FIFA’s partnership for the 2023 Women’s World Cup which according to the social media platform generated billions of views. As far as we can tell, it is not yet clear if TikTok will also be part of the content marketing strategy for the 2027 World Cup. However, the streaming service Netflix has secured exclusive broadcasting rights for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and the 2031 World Cup in the USA. In Germany, meanwhile, FIFA has granted the rights to MagentaTV.
With regard to the 2026 World Cup, FIFA is not limiting the inclusion of new platforms in its commercial strategy to TikTok. In March, it was announced that YouTube would now also be involved in broadcasting World Cup content: For the first time, it will be possible to stream the first ten minutes of every match live on YouTube; a full live broadcast is planned for selected matches as well.
Focus: Water breaks with marketing potential
One of the most striking new features of the World Cup are the official water breaks which will take place during each half. They will last three minutes each, and are said to be for the players' well-being. But they will also be used to introduce new forms of advertising. According to ZDF, ad placements during water breaks in non-German matches can be "secured for as little as EUR 1,200 per second" and ARD is offering a so-called Cooling Break Package, which is advertised as featuring "exclusive placement right in the thick of the action". It is also worth taking a look at the German Interstate Media Treaty (MStV) here. It stipulates that public service broadcasters may not broadcast advertising on Sundays and public holidays or after 8.00 pm (see section 38 MStV). As the time difference means that most of the matches take place in the evening or at night Central European Time, the opportunities for advertising on ARD and ZDF during the World Cup will be significantly limited.
The 2026 World Cup: a test for media law
The 2026 World Cup makes it clear that the broadcasting rights for major sporting events can no longer be reduced to the traditional question of which channel will show the match live. The focus is instead on a complex system comprising exclusive pay TV rights, legally guaranteed free-to-air windows, platform-based secondary exploitation, and uncertainty regarding copyright issues for big screen events. It is precisely this overlap that makes the 2026 World Cup more than just a media event. It will serve as a practical test case to determine whether the existing legal framework still adequately covers the digital, fragmented and platform-driven exploitation of live sport. For rights holders, broadcasters, platforms, the hospitality industry and event organisers, this will determine not only how football is broadcast in future, but also the legal and economic framework within which it will be organised.
