Russian sports streaming service, Okko, has secured exclusive rights to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) tournament. The rights were purchased from global streaming service DAZN, which had previously acquired global exclusive rights to the FIFA club tournament.
DAZN currently lacks a physical presence in Russia and would have been unable to broadcast the games live in this market. This situation led to Okko's acquisition of the entire set of rights from DAZN.
The inaugural edition of the revamped CWC is scheduled between June 14 and July 13 in the US with a total of 32 teams participating. However, no Russian sides are involved due to ongoing international competition bans related to Russia's illegal war activities in Ukraine.
Recent activities by Okko
Okko has been active recently with several significant acquisitions. Last month, it secured long-term broadcasting rights for two iconic grand tour cycling races: Tour de France and La Vuelta a España. In soccer, it prominently covers UEFA Champions League pan-European club tournaments.
In recent weeks and months leading up to CWC matches, DAZN has struck multiple carriage and sub-licensing deals across various regions worldwide:
- UK - Free-to-air broadcaster Channel 5
- Spain & Italy - Mediaset
- Brazil - Globo & Caze TV
- US - TNT Sports & TelevisaUnivision
- Egypt - MBC Group
These partnerships ensure that fans globally can enjoy live coverage of this prestigious football event.
Billion-dollar deal between Surj Sports investments and DAZN
In an interesting development last month ahead of these licensing deals was Saudi Arabia's Surj Sports Investments acquiring a minority stake in DAZN for $1 billion. This figure is also the total prize and appearance fund available from the CWC event.
The acquisition of Club World Cup rights by Okko from DAZN marks a significant development in sports broadcasting, particularly for Russian sports fans. Despite no Russian teams participating in the tournament, this deal ensures that football enthusiasts can enjoy live coverage of one of FIFA's most prestigious events.
