The Brazilian sports marketing agency, LiveMode, has once again been chosen as the exclusive media rights sales agent for the 2026 men's FIFA World Cup in Brazil. This comes after a successful partnership with global soccer’s governing body, FIFA, during the 2022 edition of the tournament.
The 2026 men's FIFA World Cup is set to be held in Mexico, the US, and Canada. The joint hosting by these countries means that matches will be played in a timezone favorable to Brazilian broadcasters. This is a significant improvement from the 2022 tournament held in Qatar which had less attractive kickoff times for Brazilian audiences.
LiveMode and FIFA first struck a sales deal back in January 2023 which extended through to 2024. This agreement covered tournaments such as Under-20 and Under-17 World Cup matches, along with other events like the Beach Soccer World Cup (2023) and Futsal World Cup (2024).
Following this successful collaboration, both parties have agreed to extend their contract covering media rights sales for Brazil's top-tier men’s soccer event - The FIFA Men’s World Cup - slated for 2026.
LiveMode have big task ahead in very limited time to finalise deals
LiveMode is expected to begin negotiations with interested parties who wish to secure broadcasting rights for the upcoming world cup within a week or so.
Felipe Aquilino, head of rights at LiveMode, said:
“We will talk to both open and closed channels and streaming platforms. We have flexibility in the packages that will be offered to the market.”
“We will negotiate all 104 games, with practically half of them exclusive.”
In previous years such as during the 2022 World Cup matches coverage was provided by broadcasting heavyweight Globo (both free-to-air and via pay-TV), FTA network Bandeirantes, and digital channels of prominent streamer Casimiro (represented by LiveMode).
Globo retain substantial rights package
Globo already holds an extensive package of broadcast rights for the upcoming world cup thanks to an agreement made just after finishing coverage of last year's tournament. The network will cover all of Brazil’s games, regardless of how far the national team progresses in the tournament. Coverage will be both free-to-air and on pay-TV.
However, it's worth noting that Globo has given up some exclusivity regarding the matches it can cover. The Brazilian national team was knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the 2022 men's FIFA World Cup by Croatia. Despite this setback, fans are eagerly looking forward to seeing their team compete again in 2026.
This extended partnership between LiveMode and FIFA promises to deliver comprehensive coverage of one of soccer’s most prestigious events to sports fans across Brazil.
