Global soccer's governing body, FIFA, has extended its media rights tender process for the 2027 Women's World Cup (WWC) to Canada. This move marks a significant milestone in women’s soccer as it is the first time WWC media rights are taken to Canada on a standalone basis.
The tender covers broadcast rights for both the 2027 edition of the WWC – set to be held in Brazil – and the 2031 tournament, which is yet without a host nation. While primarily focused on the event due in two years' time, bidders are also invited to submit additional offers for coverage of the 2031 Women's World Cup.
Interested parties have until July 10 at 19:00 Central European Time to submit their bids. They can request necessary documentation by emailing canada-media-rights@fifa.org.
Look back at Canada's performance
Canada has been one of women's soccer's traditional powerhouse markets despite not making it out of group stages at the recent 2023 WWC held across Australia and New Zealand. However, they did qualify for knockout stages in 2019 before losing in round-of-16 against Sweden. The Concacaf (North and Central America, and Caribbean) qualification cycle for upcoming tournaments will commence later this year via qualifying rounds for Concacaf W Championship scheduled next November.
In terms of Canadian coverage during previous Women’s World Cups, Bell Media group held exclusive rights as part of a wider deal that also covered men’s World Cup slated for 2026 - an event that Canada will co-host.
Meanwhile, streaming giant Netflix secured exclusive broadcasting rights for both upcoming tournaments (2027 &2031) last year marking its steady entry into live sports broadcasting sector.
Future tournament details
The forthcoming edition is set to take place in Brazil from June 24 through July 25, 2027. The host nation for the 2031 tournament will be selected in mid-2025 with the US among interested bidders. It's worth noting that the number of teams participating in the 2031 edition will increase by a whopping 50% to accommodate a total of 48 teams, up from current count of 32.
In related news, Deutsche Telekom, a German telecommunications giant, recently unveiled an extensive package of FIFA rights including games from both upcoming tournaments (2026 and 2027). This marks their first time holding rights for WWC. However, due to German broadcasting law requiring free-to-air coverage for fixtures involving national team in major competitions, it is likely they will sub-license rights out to free-to-air broadcasters.
