October 14: Netflix has secured the rights to Spain for the 2030 Men’s World Cup, the first time the streamer has bought a Men’s World Cup.
It will show all 104 matches of the 48-team tournament, co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with centenary matches in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. You can watch one match per day for free. The package includes all matches in Spain, both the semi-finals and the final will also be broadcast live on a national broadcaster.
It’s a big moment for a company that, not long ago, was only known for dramas and documentaries. Netflix now has exclusive US and Canadian rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups, a deal FIFA president Gianni Infantino called a “historic moment” in 2024. It also has NFL matches through 2029-30, including Christmas Day, and will show boxing mega-event Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua on December 11.
Spain is an attractive place to start. The country is co-host and defending champion after beating Argentina in July to win its second title.
For FIFA, this is the broadcasting rights competition it has been waiting for. TV revenue has grown more slowly than commercial and ticket revenue in recent years, with most major European markets holding key free-to-air World Cup matches and for national broadcasters, this has kept streamers out and prices down.
A deep-pocketed streamer in the tender changes the landscape. UEFA recently adopted a financial boost with the move to a streaming platform when Paramount+ became one of the main broadcasters of the Champions League in the UK and Germany from 2027.
No value was given to Netflix’s acquisition of rights that only cover Spain.
It has not been announced who will hold the US rights for 2030, so US viewers will have to wait a little longer to find out if they are finally freed from Alexi Lalas.
If Netflix keeps buying at this rate, they may not have to wait long.
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