FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, is closing in on a deal with Apple that will give the tech company global TV rights to a major new tournament for a month, world cup style competition The top teams will compete in the United States for the first time next summer.
The deal could be announced as early as this month, according to three people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to discuss the deal publicly as it has yet to be officially confirmed. It follows a series of missteps at a tournament hosted by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Plans originally scheduled to be held in China in 2021 were scrapped due to the epidemic.
The deal could be worth just a quarter of FIFA’s original estimate of $4 billion, people familiar with the matter said. It’s unclear whether the deal with Apple includes any free broadcast rights, meaning the entire tournament will only be available to Apple TV+ subscribers, something FIFA executives have expressed concern about.
If the deal goes through, it would be the first time FIFA has agreed to a single global contract. FIFA will host the first expanded 48-team men’s World Cup in the United States in 2026. It also represents Apple’s latest move into football, having signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal in 2022 to acquire global streaming rights to Major League Soccer.
Streaming services are increasingly interested in live sports as they try to attract more subscribers. Peacock Amazon Prime has been streaming Thursday night NFL games since 2022 after live streaming the National Football League playoffs last season. Apple also has a live streaming deal with Major League Baseball. Netflix has focused more on sports documentaries, although it has recently made a push into live “sports-related programming,” including a multibillion-dollar deal to air World Wrestling Entertainment’s flagship weekly wrestling show “Raw.” It also announced it will broadcast a boxing match between former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and social media influencer Jake Paul in July.
FIFA hopes the tournament, which will bring together successful teams from around the world, including 12 from Europe, which is mostly among the world’s best, will attract huge demand from broadcasters and commercial partners. Where the talent is. But broadcasters balked at the numbers FIFA was seeking due to poor planning and delays. So far, sponsors have also been reluctant to commit to the $150 million the organization is seeking, according to people familiar with the matter.
A global deal with a major company like Apple could give the four-year-old tournament the veneer of quality Infantino has been trying to ensure. Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr declined to comment. “As a rule, FIFA does not confirm or deny commercial discussions,” FIFA said in a statement.
FIFA has scheduled the 2025 tournament from June 15 to July 13. That comes after a long European season, traditionally a period when no major tournaments are held to allow players to rest in the off-season the year before the World Cup. The players’ union criticized FIFA for not consulting them before announcing the tournament.
FIFA also faces huge costs for hosting the tournament in the United States because it will serve as a warm-up match for the World Cup. Some games will be played in large venues, including NFL stadiums, which must be rented. FIFA had hoped to secure a major sponsorship partner willing to pay as much as the $100 million World Cup sponsors paid each cycle, but with less than a year to go the tournament has yet to announce a title partner for the event.
The deal must be completed quickly so that it can be announced ahead of an advance later next month, during which entertainment companies try to lure advertisers by talking about future shows.
European clubs have been pressuring FIFA for months to provide specific details of the tournament, including the city where it will be held and even its name. FIFA had said the event would be called Mundial de Clubes FIFA, but teams have now been told the event is under review.
