Global OTT streaming service Netflix has secured the rights to the 2027 and 2031 editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the Canadian market, expanding its coverage of the showpiece event.
Netflix will showcase every game from the two tournaments live on its platform across all subscription tiers, complete with studio shoulder content and ancillary programming, including pre-tournament documentaries and features.
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Netflix already holds the rights to the 2027 and 2031 tournaments in the US courtesy of a deal agreed at the end of 2024, and has now moved to consolidate its position in the crowded women’s soccer space in North America.
The OTT service replaces Canadian TV heavyweight Bell Media, which had been the long-time rightsholder for the Women’s World Cup in the territory via its linear network TSN.
The 2027 Women’s World Cup will take place in Brazil from June 24 through July 25 of that year, while earlier in 2025 the US and Mexico, two of the joint hosts of the men’s 2026 World Cup (which will feature 48 teams), are the sole “valid bidder” for the 2031 World Cup hosting rights according to FIFA.
Netflix’s wide reach, coupled with the more Canada-friendly time zone of 2027 and 2031, could see viewership swell, with data-based estimates suggesting there are as many as 9.05 million Netflix subscribers in Canada.
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By GlobalDataThis represents Netflix’s latest foray into live sport and women’s sport, as earlier this year it showcased the controversial Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul boxing bout, the card of which was co-headlined by a women’s lightweight championship bout between Ireland’s Katie Taylor and Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano.
While the Paul vs Tyson main event drew over 60 million households of viewership, the Taylor-Serrano bout also performed extremely well, with almost 50 million households tuning in.
The platform is also the global rightsholder for WWE’s weekly WWE Raw show, which it secured long-term global rights to in 2024, and began broadcasting on January 6, 2025.
Speaking on the FIFA World Cup rights acquisition in Canada, FIFA Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria commented: “Our record-breaking success with Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor demonstrated the massive appetite for women’s sports and live programming.
“I’ve seen the fandom for the FIFA Women’s World Cup grow tremendously — from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019, and most recently, the incredible energy across Australia and New Zealand in 2023.”
Canada may yet be invited to jointly host the 2031 edition with the US and Mexico, especially given that it will be the first in the tournament’s history to host 48 teams, up from 32, a factor that will markedly increase the hosting burden.
