The sales process for broadcast rights covering FIFA's revamped Club World Cup (CWC) competition has begun in several key markets. Football fans in both Africa and Europe, including users of Novibet in Finland, are anticipating finding out how they can follow this exciting new tournament.
This article will provide an overview of the tender process, the new format of the tournament, and potential participating teams. International soccer’s governing body FIFA has initiated the tender process for media rights to its restructured Club World Cup matches in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. The rights cover two editions of the tournament: 2025 and 2029.
The bid deadline was set at 11am Central European Time on September 24. Interested parties could obtain invitation to tender documents by emailing FCWC-media-rights@fifa.org.
New format and participating teams
The first-ever edition of this new-look FIFA CWC is scheduled to be held in the US between June 15 and July 13. It will feature a significant expansion from previous editions with a total of 32 clubs divided into eight groups of four and 63 matches overall.
Europe’s UEFA will have most teams involved with twelve slots including Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City among others. Other notable participants include Palmeiras from Brazil, River Plate from Argentina, Al Ahly from Egypt among others.
Only two spots remain open for grabs for the upcoming edition following Argentina’s Boca Juniors securing their place through CONMEBOL rankings pathway last week.
Failed deal with Apple Inc.
Initial discussions between FIFA and global tech giant Apple about global streaming rights to the tournament failed to yield a deal which necessitated a formal tender process. Had it been successful, it would have seen a deal worth around $1 billion put in place for worldwide rights. In July earlier this year, FIFA launched tournaments’ tenders across Americas, Asia as well as Middle East & North Africa (MENA) regions. The deadline for these regions passed on August 20.
FIFA has stated that it reserves the right to involve participating clubs in respect of the evaluation, assessment or decision-making elements of this ITT process. This includes teams represented by the European Club Association, with which FIFA has an agreement. In addition to CWC rights, FIFA is also currently selling media rights to its national team World Cups – both men’s and women’s – over the next few years.
In mid-June, it launched a tender process for worldwide in-ship and in-flight media rights to its 2026 (men’s) and 2027 (women’s) World Cups. The sales process for broadcast rights covering FIFA's revamped Club World Cup competition marks a significant step forward in global soccer broadcasting. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds as we approach closer towards the inaugural edition of this new format tournament.
