Spanish sports agency Grup Mediapro has once again secured the exclusive pay-TV rights to the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament. Following its successful coverage of the 2022 tournament, Mediapro's Over-The-Top (OTT) service, Gol Mundial, will host all 104 games of the 2026 World Cup.
Mediapro has reached an agreement with Spain’s RTVE public-service broadcaster to acquire these exclusive rights. The deal grants Mediapro exclusive broadcasting rights to 71 out of the total 104 World Cup games. The remaining 33 games will have non-exclusive coverage rights.
The acquired rights will be disseminated through a dedicated streaming channel called Gol Mundial. This channel operates round-the-clock and is available for Spanish pay-TV services to draw content from. It is expected that sub-licensing deals for this content with other pay-TV providers are likely to be reached in due course. This move mirrors previous strategies employed by Mediapro, which launched similar World Cup-focused services under the name Gol Mundial ahead of past tournaments such as that in 2022.
Subscription and content details
Previously, subscribers could access this service through a single payment of just over $20. In addition to live broadcasts of all World Cup fixtures, subscribers also had access to past games and other on-demand content. The upcoming edition of the FIFA World Cup is set to take place across three countries - US, Canada, and Mexico - featuring an expanded list of teams participating in it. With a record-breaking number of teams (48), this edition promises more action than ever before with a total count reaching up-to 104 fixtures.
Spain's national team currently holds pole position for automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament. The European champions, currently ranked third in the world by FIFA, have won both of their first two qualifiers without conceding any goals and facing little opposition. They are likely to be one of the favorites to win the entire tournament.
Mediapro's acquisition of exclusive pay-TV rights for the 2026 World Cup is a significant development for sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts alike. With its dedicated streaming channel Gol Mundial, Mediapro continues to provide comprehensive coverage of one of the world's most-watched sporting events. As we look forward to an expanded World Cup tournament in North America, it will be interesting to see how this broadcasting deal shapes up and what it means for viewers across Spain and beyond.
