Could Disney Broadcast the 2030 and 2034 World Cups?

If you have been following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, you know the tournament has been a ratings bonanza for Fox, Telemundo, and Peacock.

The United States’ recent victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 36.4 million viewers across the networks.

Photo: The New Yorker

Bolstered by the sport’s biggest stars and favorable time zones for North American audiences, this year’s World Cup has seen viewers flock to their televisions.

The recent match between Portugal and Croatia, for example, drew more than 11 million viewers.

Photo: Fox

While both FIFA and Fox certainly have reasons to celebrate, the soccer organization is already looking ahead to 2030.

Numerous Broadcasters Are Interested in the World Cup

According to a new report from CNBC, Netflix, Disney, and YouTube are all interested in bidding against Fox for the U.S. television rights to the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups.

Photo: Greater Houston Partnership

This year, Fox paid $485 million for the English-language rights to this year’s tournament, while Telemundo paid $600 million for the Spanish-language rights.

At this point, it appears that the bid for the U.S. rights to the 2030 FIFA World Cup could come in between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. This time around, however, the English- and Spanish-language rights will be sold together.

Photo: FIFA

That could lead to less competition among the principal bidders.

A Different Tournament

It should be noted that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will not take place in North America, but in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, meaning there will be a significant time difference for American audiences.

The 2034 FIFA World Cup, on the other hand, will be played in Saudi Arabia.

Photo: ESPN

Nevertheless, with World Cup ratings surging, the 2030 and 2034 tournaments will be premium content for broadcasters.

Disney’s Advantage

The ability to air World Cup matches on ESPN and ABC could provide Disney with a major advantage.

Photo: ESPN

While FIFA has previously struck a deal with Netflix to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031, the organization may be enticed by Disney’s ability to air matches on both ESPN and ABC.

At this point, Disney is still a long way from securing the rights. Nevertheless, as we have seen with the company’s recent NBA and NFL deals, the company is more than willing to invest heavily in live sports.

Photo: MickeyBlog