Austrian public-service broadcaster ORF and Red Bull-owned commercial network Servus TV have continued their strong relationship, agreeing on a co-operative sub-licensing deal for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and UEFA European Championships 2028 major soccer tournaments.
ORF holds the rights to the 2026 World Cup, while ServusTV holds the Euro 2028, and under this latest agreement, they will split those rights between each other.
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This means that ServusTV will now be able to show as many as 52 games from the 104-game World Cup 26, with the pair each showing four of the eight round-of-16 matches, two of the four quarter-final games, and one semi-final fixture each, with ORF retaining the rights to the showpiece final.
Additionally, if Austria qualifies for the tournament, then games involving the team will also be split, with ORF showing the first and third of its group-stage ties, while ServusTV will show the second, and the round-of-32 tie should it advance from the group stage (if Austria advances further, then ORF will showcase all games from that point).
Meanwhile, in terms of Euro 2028, the ORG will gain broadcast rights to 25 of the 51 total games, including four of the eight round-of-16 matches, two of the four quarter-final games, and one semi-final fixture each.
Mirroring the World Cup agreement, ServusTV will showcase the first and third of Austria’s group-stage ties, should the team qualify, while ORF will showcase the second group-stage tie and its round-of-16 fixture should the team advance to that stage, with ServusTV showing any remaining games.
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By GlobalDataThis agreement echoes previous accords struck between the two, which also split the rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2024 European Championships in a near-identical agreement.
ServusTV snapped up rights to the 2024 and 2028 Euros in April 2021, after a rights tender was launched in that market in February of that year.
ORF, meanwhile, holds rights to this year’s World Cup through a deal struck back in 2023.
At the time, the broadcaster's announcement made a point of mentioning that “ORF has the opportunity to sub-license World Cup games,” something it has now capitalized on.
The 2026 World Cup, for the first time ever, will contain 48 teams, up from 32 at the previous edition last year.
Austria has not qualified for a FIFA World Cup since 1998, but the team is currently the favorite to advance from its qualifying group, sitting second in that group after winning both of its opening two games, and boasting the highest FIFA ranking of any side in that group.
Speaking on the latest agreement between the two, ORF general director Roland Weissmann commented: “The year 2026 is a year of superlatives, offering three major productions: the World Cup, the Eurovision Song Contest, and the Winter Olympics. It makes all the more sense to seek cooperation here, or rather, to continue the proven collaboration and keep the World Cup and the EURO 2020 entirely on free TV.
“We needed to find a good compromise, and we've achieved that. Both broadcasters are on equal footing at both events. I'm looking forward to some great games.”
