FIFA, the global governing body for soccer, has initiated the media rights tender process in Cambodia, Chinese Taipei and Vietnam for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches. This move comes as part of a new strategy where FIFA will be selling its media rights directly in the Asian market.
The tender processes are now underway for these three countries to secure broadcasting rights to one of soccer's most prestigious tournaments. A separate tender has also been launched specifically in Cambodia and Chinese Taipei for coverage of the 2027 Women’s World Cup matches (WWC).
The documents required to participate in this bidding process can be accessed through specific email addresses provided by FIFA. The deadline set for bid submissions is October 15 at 10 am Central European Standard Time.
New strategy this time
This development follows an announcement made by FIFA back in June that it would be selling its media rights directly within the Asian market under a new strategy. However, they have retained Infront agency - their previous sales partner - as an advisor within selected territories.
Following the conclusion of their partnership with Switzerland-based Infront during the 2019-2022 World Cup sales cycle, FIFA is now negotiating deals internally to better manage its broadcast relationships.
Previous partnerships and future prospects
Historically, FIFA appointed agencies like Infront to handle media right sales within Asia-Pacific region except South Korea, Japan and Malaysia where it managed sales directly. The previous partners included free-to-air broadcaster CBS (Cambodia), Chinese Television and pay-TV’s ELTA (Chinese Taipei), along with state-owned VTV (Vietnam).
However, none of these countries remain contenders for qualification into the expanded format of 48 teams at the upcoming tournament. They were eliminated during early rounds of Asia zone qualifying matches. For sports fans eagerly awaiting news on recent World Cup rights deals; NOS, the public-service broadcaster in the Netherlands, will continue to be the home of national teams competition for both 2026 and 2030 editions. In Albania, TV Klan has been granted World Cup rights as announced in mid-July.
The launch of these media rights tenders marks a significant shift in FIFA's approach to managing its broadcast relationships within Asia. This move is expected to bring about a more direct and efficient process for securing broadcasting rights for these major tournaments. It remains to be seen how this new strategy will impact sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts across Cambodia, Chinese Taipei and Vietnam.
