International soccer's governing body, FIFA, has initiated the tender process for media rights to its revamped Club World Cup competition. This move comes after initial discussions with global tech giant Apple failed to yield a deal.
The inaugural editions of the new format will take place in 2025 and 2029. The first-ever edition of this new-look FIFA Club World Cup format is set to be held in the US between June 15 and July 13. It will feature a significant expansion from previous editions, with 32 clubs divided into eight groups of four. A total of 63 matches are expected to be played. This restructured tournament represents an exciting evolution for international club football, offering more teams the opportunity to compete on a global stage.
The tender process covers regions across the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with a bid deadline set for August 20 at 4pm Central European Time. Following this phase, another round covering Europe as well as sub-Saharan Africa will be held 'in due course,' according to FIFA. Interested parties can obtain invitation-to-tender documents by emailing FCWC-media-rights@fifa.org.
Failed deal with Apple
FIFA had initially engaged in talks with Apple about global streaming rights for the tournament. These discussions were reported back in April and could have resulted in a deal worth around $1 billion for worldwide rights. However, no agreement was reached leading FIFA to initiate this formal tender process.
Big hype around CWC now
The upcoming Club World Cup is set to include multiple team slots from all continental governing bodies except Oceania Football Confederation (OFC). UEFA's Europe will have most representation with twelve teams including Chelsea, Real Madrid among others while other clubs like Palmeiras (Brazil), Al Ahly (Egypt) and Seattle (US) will also participate.
The inaugural edition of the revamped Club World Cup is scheduled to act as a build-up event before the FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico in mid-2026. FIFA has stated that it reserves the right to involve participating clubs in respect of evaluation 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 this, FIFA is currently selling media rights for its national team World Cup matches – both men’s and women’s – over the next few years. In 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.
