December 5 – On the eve of the draw for the Club World Cup, FIFA at last found a broadcast partner, announcing streaming platform DAZN as the exclusive rights holder for the 32-team tournament in a deal reportedly worth $1 billion.
DAZN will stream, free of charge, all 63 matches of the tournament that the United States will host between 15 June and 13 July 2025.
The London-based streaming platform has the opportunity to sub-license rights to local free-to-air broadcasters. FIFA had expected to raise $700-800 million in broadcast rights after the world federation walked away from a $1 billion global deal with tech giant Apple.
Apple had wanted that number to cover multiple CWC editions (streaming services eat up content and $1 billion for one tournament did not meet their metrics), but ultimately FIFA demanded too much with their opening figure for the negotiation reportedly having been $4 billion for 2025 only.
DAZN has stepped in to grow its portfolio which has generally failed to capture a high volume of bankable rights in the sports business but has established itself in certain sports niches. It has struggled to deliver on its promise of becoming the ‘Netflix of Sports’ and the company has lost billions.
The platform, owned by billionaire Len Blavatnik, does have rights to a number of major leagues and tournaments in Europe, but more recently DAZN has become the home for Saudi sports properties including the Saudi Pro League.
The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been in negotiation for a reported $1 billion, 10% stake in DAZN. That deal has not been confirmed but TV industry insiders say that it is Saudi money that is underwriting the rights acquisition and that the deal number leaked has been exaggerated ‘for optics sake’.
With FIFA president Gianni Infantino having been stuck in a deep broadcast and financial hole, broadcast industry comment is that he turned to his Saudi friends to bale his tournament out with their potential investment in DAZN. In the US with the collapse of the Apple negotiations and no other broadcaster prepared to step up for the rights, talk had been that the tournament would have to be cancelled due to the lack of commercial commitments and interest.
For DAZN it is starting to potentially look like a make-or-break moment. It has the exclusive rights globally to a tournament that is being promoted as the world’s biggest and most important club competition ever by FIFA, but has so far failed to catch the imagination of stakeholders and fans. And that includes many players and clubs that have qualified.
“This groundbreaking deal with FIFA is a major milestone in DAZN’s journey to be the ultimate entertainment platform of choice for sports fans everywhere,” said DAZN CEO Shay Segev, the company’s chief executive officer.
The FIFA boss has championed the Club World Cup for years, but the expanded 32-team tournament, which he believes will make the club game ‘truly global’ and perhaps level the playing field between Europe and the rest of the world somewhat, has endured a long and rocky launch.
Infantino initially tried to sell off the rights to the tournament and other FIFA competitions to a Japanese-led investment fund (reportedly backed by Saudi money) but met with resistance from FIFA’s leading confederations, and the global coronavirus pandemic put a stop to China staging the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup in 2021.
Commercial and broadcast interest in the tournament has been limited. FIFA has struggled to bring sponsors on board. In two years, the US, together with Mexico and Canada, will stage the 2026 World Cup and in 2028 Los Angeles will play host to the Olympic Games. Infantino and FIFA however need solid commercial backing to entice European clubs with sufficient prize money. Money is pretty much their only motivation to overcoming their participation reservations in an already overcrowded calendar and FIFA have yet to announce or guarantee participation funds or prize money.
Twelve teams from the Old Continent will participate in the tournament, but some clubs see the tournament as intruding on their ability to stage lucrative pre-season tours and are increasingly demanding clarity about the prize money. It is expected that the money will be heavily skewed toward the latter stages of the tournament to benefit and engage European teams.
Much of the tournament’s success will depend on its exposure.
European broadcasters have been very lukewarm toward the tournament and the New York Times reports that FOX, a FIFA broadcast partner for the 2026 World Cup, has bid just $10 million for the tournament. Next summer, FOX will already be the home of the Concacaf Gold Cup, the bi-annual Concacaf championship that includes the national teams of both the US and Mexico, and which FIFA has scheduled its Club World Cup directly against.
“Through this broadcasting agreement, billions of soccer fans worldwide can now watch what will be the most widely accessible club soccer tournament ever – and for free,” said Infantino.
Yes they can, but will they?
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734896622labto1734896622ofdlr1734896622owedi1734896622sni@i1734896622tnuk.1734896622ardni1734896622mas1734896622. Additional reporting by moc.l1734896622labto1734896622ofdlr1734896622owedi1734896622sni@n1734896622osloh1734896622cin.l1734896622uap1734896622