FIFA faces huge cut in India’s 2026 World Cup rights:Big fight over ticket prices as rates soar as high as ₹10 lakh

The Football World Cup 2026 is around the corner. But, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) may get three times lower amount for the sale of broadcasting rights of football matches in India as compared to that in the preceding tournament back in 2022. 3x lower amount for broadcasting right this time For the previous Football World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Viacom18, the now Joint Venture (JV) of Reliance and Disney, had bought the broadcasting rights in India for around $62 million (₹592 crore). Viacom18 had broadcasted those matches on Sports18 TV channel and the JioCinema app in India. For the upcoming 2026 World Cup, FIFA initially wanted $100 million (₹955 crore) for a bundle package, according to a report by Reuters. Later, they dropped their demand to not less than $60 million (₹573 crore). JioStar (a big media group) was competing with Zee and made a final offer of around $20 million (₹191 crore). However, JioStar decided to opt out of the race. So, now only ZEE is left in the race. Why FIFA is not expected to get a handsome amount for selling broadcasting rights in India? Media experts say companies are worried because the matches will happen in North America. The big time-zone difference means matches will air late at night or early in the morning in India, making it hard to get viewers and ads. Right now, Zee is the main company left in talks, and they are hoping to get the rights for a very low price. Zee Entertainment Enterprises is currently in talks with FIFA to buy the television and streaming rights for the upcoming 2026 Football World Cup in India. Zee wants to use this epic tournament to grow its sports business and is launching new sports channels named ‘Unite8 Sports.’ Ticket booking window is open If you want to watch the matches live in the stadium, the ticket booking windows have already opened. The initial ticket sales began late last year, and a fresh ticket resale window opened up recently in April. The 2026 World Cup is ready to start on June 11 and will end with the final match on July 19. It will take place across three nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Big fight over ticket prices A major controversy has broken out regarding how tickets are being sold. Fans are very disappointed, and government legal experts in American states like New York, New Jersey, and California have started official investigations into FIFA. There are two main reasons for this fight: Dynamic Pricing: FIFA used a system where ticket prices automatically go up when demand is high. Fans feel they are being tricked into paying too much out of fear that tickets will sell out. Fake scarcity of seats controversy: Fans have complained that FIFA created a secret new ticket type called “Front Category” seats after regular sales had already started. Fans who bought tickets early say they were pushed out of the best front-row seats and given back seats instead. FIFA has been accused of creating fake scarcity of seats and turning ticket buying into a confusing trap. Ticket cost: This is officially the most expensive World Cup in football history. The ticket prices have a huge range depending on where you sit and which match you watch: The Cheapest Seats: The lowest price is $60 (₹5,730), but these are highly restricted tickets meant only for loyal fan clubs. For the general public, the cheapest tickets start around $120 (₹11,460) for normal group matches,according to travel-related information sharing portal, ‘Jetpac.’ The Most Expensive Seats: A top-quality Category 1 seat for the final match was initially priced around $6,730 to $7,875. However, due to dynamic pricing, those same final tickets jumped to $10,990 (₹10.49 lakh) by April, according to ‘Britannica’. Past ticket costs: Ticket prices were way much cheaper in 2022 World Cup (Qatar): The previous tournament was much cheaper than the upcoming one. The lowest ticket price was $70 (₹6,685), and the most expensive ticket for the grand final was around $1,600 (₹1.52 lakh).