After its successful coverage of soccer's flagship FIFA World Cup 2026, SBS, the Australian public-service broadcaster, has confirmed the acquisition of the rights to the men's 2030 edition.
Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) will broadcast all of the 104 games of the 2030 World Cup live across its primary SBS and SBS2 linear channels, streaming coverage on the SBS On Demand streaming platform, and will additionally provide radio coverage on the SBS Audio platform and its associated stations.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Set to be hosted across Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, with additional locations in South America ( Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay to be specific) also to be utilized to commemorate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup (and clear the way for Saudi Arabia to host the event in 2034).
Speaking on the announcement, SBS managing director Jane Palfreyman said: “SBS is without question the home of ‘the World Game’ in Australia, and we are so pleased to retain the exclusive rights for 2030.
“In 2030 audiences will once again be able to experience every match live and free on SBS. Securing the FIFA World Cup 2030™ continues the important partnership between SBS and FIFA that spans more than four decades and reflects our long-standing commitment to making the world’s biggest sporting moments accessible to all Australians.”
SBS has broadcast games from soccer’s world governing body FIFA since 1986, including the recent 2026 edition of the quadrennial showcase, which was a successful one for the broadcaster.
Indeed, SBS boasted a record TV reach of around 5.3 million for the showpiece final of the tournament, despite its Monday morning broadcast time.
Across the entire tournament, cumulative reach sat at over 18 million, meaning over 64% of the Australian populace tuned in to watch SBS’ coverage at least once. In total, SBS notched 209 million broadcast viewing hours.
Referring to those figures, FIFA director of media partnerships Jean-Christophe Petit added on the latest deal: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with SBS. SBS’s innovative programming, in-depth coverage, nationwide exposure and commitment to showcasing the rich cultural celebration of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ set new benchmarks for the tournament in Australia this year.
“With this new agreement, we look forward to working together with SBS to bring Australian fans an exceptional viewing experience for the FIFA World Cup 2030™, a landmark edition of the tournament as we celebrate its centenary.”
Australia has qualified for seven World Cups in total, including each of the last six editions of the tournament (making the knockout stages in three of these), firmly establishing the country as a regular on the biggest stage, which in turn naturally increases the value of World Cup media rights in the country.
