- Incumbent broadcaster SBS paid AUS$40m for the 2018 and 2022 men’s World Cup
- FTA networks have right of first refusal for tournament games featuring the Socceroos and the final under federal anti-siphoning laws
- SBS, Seven, Nine and Network Ten all expected to bid for the rights
Australia’s free-to-air (FTA) broadcasters are set to battle it out for the broadcast rights to the men’s 2026 Fifa World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup after Fifa opened the tender process for both tournaments.
The men’s World Cup has been shown by the public service broadcaster (PSB) Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) since 1990, with the broadcaster paying AUS$20 million (US$13 million) each for the 2018 and 2022 editions in Russia and Qatar.
In contrast to the women’s tournament, tournament games featuring the Socceroos and the final are…