Stan Sport, the streaming service of Australian commercial broadcaster Nine Network, has expanded its soccer portfolio with exclusive rights to the European qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This move is part of a broader strategy by Stan Sport and parent company Nine Entertainment to dominate sports broadcasting in Australia.
Under this new agreement, Stan Sport will exclusively air all 144 remaining pool fixtures as well as every play-off match scheduled for March 2026. The coverage begins on Friday (September 5) with four matches: Netherlands vs Poland, Slovakia vs Germany, Bulgaria vs Spain, and Liechtenstein vs Belgium.
The qualification format sees 48 teams divided into twelve groups of four. Each nation will play each other home and away. The group winner will automatically qualify for the World Cup finals while remaining teams compete in playoffs.
Broadcaster's expanding portfolio
This acquisition is just one part of a larger soccer rights spree by Stan. Recently they secured exclusive rights to England’s top-tier Premier League (EPL) and FA domestic cup through a sub-licensing agreement with Optus Sport - an Australian telecoms firm divesting from its broadcast commitments.
In addition to taking over three years of Optus’ current six-season contract for EPL, this deal also covers rights to Japan’s J.League, South Korea’s K League, and United States’ National Women’s Soccer League.
These acquisitions supplement existing broadcaster's rights including all UEFA club competitions such as Champions League; second-tier Europa League; third-tier Conference League; UEFA Super Cup; Germany’s top knockout competition DFB-Pokal; and England's top-tier Women's Super League acquired last week under a multi-year deal.
Financial performance fuels expansion
The aggressive expansion into sports broadcasting comes after Nine Entertainment posted revenue of $2.7 billion AUD along with a net profit after tax of $133 million AUD in the 2025 financial year.
Nine Entertainment also holds rights to other sports in Australia. These include rugby union’s English Premiership, the southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, and SVNS; tennis’ Davis Cup; motor racing’s Formula E, World Athletics Championships, and PFL mixed martial arts action.
While Stan Sport has secured rights for the European qualifiers, Australia's public broadcaster SBS holds exclusive rights to air the World Cup finals. The tournament is set to be staged across US, Canada and Mexico with all 104 games broadcasted via its SBS and SBS Viceland channels as well as its On Demand streaming platform.
