Zee Entertainment has grabbed the broadcast rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India. The company says live sports are a big deal now, so they’re launching four new sports channels and streaming the matches on Zee5.
World Cup Broadcast in India:Football fans, you can finally relax! The long wait to know who will broadcast the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India is over. The broadcaster’s name is confirmed, so the big question now is: how much will it cost to watch the matches?
How much will it cost to watch the World Cup?
FIFA has officially announced that Zee Entertainment has bagged the broadcasting rights for India. The deal between FIFA and Zee is reportedly worth a massive ₹285-332 crore. This historic agreement doesn’t just cover the 2026 World Cup; it also includes the broadcast rights for the 2030 tournament. The matches will be aired on four brand-new channels.
A spokesperson for Zee Entertainment said that sports are becoming increasingly popular in India, especially live telecasts. This is why the company has decided to invest in sports and is launching these new channels. The new channels are Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD. For all the OTT viewers, the matches will be available on the Zee5 app.
Here are the subscription fee details
Two channels will feature English commentary, while the other two will have Hindi commentary. For television broadcast, you will need to contact your local cable operator. If you have a DTH connection, you’ll have to get in touch with your service provider. The channels are expected to be priced between ₹10-20 each, though this might change.
However, watching the games on a digital platform or OTT app will be more expensive. To watch the World Cup on the Zee5 app, viewers will need to buy a three-month subscription plan called the “Z5 All Access + Sports Pack”. This plan costs ₹799. If you want a one-year plan, it will set you back by ₹1699. Both packages will give you access to other content on the platform, not just the World Cup. The Zee5 app and website have already created a special window for the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
On top of this, the Zee Group will also broadcast other major FIFA events until 2034. This includes the FIFA Men’s U-17 World Cup (2026-2034), FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup (2026-2034), FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup (2027, 2029, 2031, and 2033), FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (2026, 2028, 2030, 2032, and 2034), FIFA Futsal Men’s World Cup (2028 and 2032), FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup (2029 and 2033), FIFA Women’s World Cup (2027), and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup (2026-2030).
According to sources, the broadcast operations will be managed from Zee’s studio in Lower Parel, Mumbai. The entire Production Control Unit, along with all producers and crew members, will be based there. The pre-match, mid-match, and post-match shows and analysis will also be done from the Mumbai studio.
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