Netflix and FIFA announced a landmark deal on Friday for the streaming service to broadcast the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cup.
The deal is comprehensive and exclusive, FIFA said. Netflix will broadcast all games at both tournaments live, in English and Spanish, with no plans to sublicense the rights to any cable or terrestrial television network.
It will be the first time that World Cup matches, men’s or women’s, will be broadcast in the US on a digital streaming service, rather than on linear TV.
And for FIFA it is risky. A source familiar with the deal told Yahoo Sports that, like all Netflix content, fans will need a subscription to watch games. The paywall could limit the reach and hinder the commercial maturity of the Women’s World Cup, a three-decade-old phenomenon seen by top athletes and media executives as having significant potential for further, rapid and lucrative growth.
The Women’s World Cup is shifting from TV to streaming
For decades, the women’s and men’s World Cups – sold as a bundle by FIFA – were broadcast in the US by ESPN and then by Fox in English; and by Univision and then Telemundo in Spanish. Fox’s first rights deal began with the 2015 Women’s World Cup and was later controversially extended until the 2026 Men’s World Cup.
From the 2027 Women’s World Cup, as part of a new strategy for women’s football, FIFA split the rights to the women’s and men’s tournaments into two separate packages. In November it officially launched a tender procedure for the 2027 and 2031 tournaments.
A month later, it entered into exclusive negotiations with Netflix and signed this unique deal, which extends beyond World Cup matches.
“In addition to offering live coverage,” FIFA said in the release, “Netflix will produce exclusive documentary series in the lead-up to both tournaments, spotlighting the world’s best players, their journeys and the global growth of women’s football .”
Netflix is moving to live sports
It is unclear how much Netflix will pay for the rights. Spokespeople for FIFA and Netflix declined to comment on the financial terms.
However, it is clear that sports organizations are increasingly willing to sell rights to non-traditional broadcasters; and that streaming giants, such as Apple and Amazon, are increasingly interested in live sports.
Netflix has been relatively slow to venture into the space. It has extensive experience with sports documentaries – including those on the US and Spanish women’s national teams – but relatively little with live matches. However, a one-off boxing match was recently broadcast between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul; and on Christmas Day, NFL games will be streamed. The Women’s World Cup could accelerate expansion in the sport.
The deal takes effect with the 2027 tournament, which will be played in Brazil.
The host of the 2031 tournament has yet to be determined. The United States is expected to make a bid, perhaps together with Mexico. But they could face competition from China or several European countries.
