Saran Media Group, a leading Turkish media operation, has secured an exclusive deal with FIFA for the rights to the 2027 Women’s World Cup national team tournament. This agreement covers 24 European and Eurasian countries, marking a significant milestone in sports broadcasting.
FIFA has appointed Saran as its exclusive media rights agency for several territories including Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia among others. The deal also extends to Turkey and Uzbekistan. As part of this arrangement, Saran will collaborate with broadcasters in each market to provide comprehensive coverage of the Women’s World Cup.
This announcement follows closely on the heels of FIFA's agreement with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which ensures free-to-air coverage across multiple European territories.
Expanding coverage through strategic partnerships
The recent partnership between FIFA and EBU guarantees that viewers from Czechia to Finland will have access to free-to-air broadcasts of the tournament. This is part of an ongoing effort by FIFA to increase visibility and accessibility for fans worldwide.
The upcoming tournament is set to take place in Brazil from June 24th until July 27th next year - marking South America's debut as host for this prestigious event. According to FIFA's projections based on these two major agreements alone - there will be unprecedented broadcast coverage across Europe for a Women’s World Cup. These partnerships ensure free-to-air access in over 40 territories with at least one match shown live daily.
Jill Ellis, Chief Football Officer at FIFA, said:
“It is remarkable how the European broadcast market is embracing this historic edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup by committing to comprehensive coverage."
She further noted that there was strong interest and recognition towards women's football, with TV rights revenue in the region set to be reinvested for the global growth of women’s game. In addition to EBU and Saran deals, FIFA has also awarded broadcasting rights in Europe to M6 in France, TV4/SVT in Sweden, and BBC and ITV in the United Kingdom. Negotiations are ongoing for a few remaining territories.
FIFA also unveiled a Women’s World Cup rights deal with state broadcaster Mediacorp in Singapore earlier this year. The 2023 Women’s World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand reportedly engaged over two billion fans across various platforms including TV, digital, and social media - setting high expectations for future tournaments.
