DAZN, the global sports subscription platform, will show every match of soccer’s upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup in Italy, joining public broadcaster Rai, which announced it will show select matches free-to-air (FTA).
DAZN will live stream all 104 matches of the expanded 48-team tournament from June 11 to July 19, which is being held across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
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The deal builds on the streaming service’s long-term partnership with FIFA after landing the global deal for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and its planned relaunch of the FIFA+ streaming service this year.
DAZN Group chief executive Shay Segev said: “The agreement with FIFA to broadcast the world’s most iconic football tournament to passionate football fans in Italy underscores the increasing role DAZN is playing as a key partner for premium sports across the globe.
“We’re delighted that DAZN will be the go-to broadcaster for the full tournament in Italy.”
DAZN joins Rai, which confirmed on Friday (February 27) that it will show 35 matches, including the opening match, all games featuring the Italian national team (should they qualify), the semi-finals, and the final, as well as non-exclusive radio rights to all matches.
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By GlobalDataThe public broadcaster plans to provide extensive coverage of the tournament, airing at least 32 matches on its main Rai 1 channel and offering highlights and clips of all the competition’s matches across its TV and digital platforms.
Rai also covered the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
FIFA launched its invitation to tender (ITT) process for World Cup rights in Italy in mid-October, with a submission deadline of November 25.
Earlier this month, it was widely reported in Italy that DAZN and Rai were in final-stage negotiations for rights packages, with a source with knowledge of the situation confirming to Sportcal (GlobalData Sport) that DAZN was in the last set of contract negotiations around a deal.
DAZN adds World Cup rights in Italy to those already secured in both Japan (announced last December) and Spain (announced earlier this month). In Japan, DAZN will air all 104 games from the tournament, while in Spain it will do the same through a deal with Mediapro.
Italy’s participation in the World Cup has not been confirmed, with the national team due to face Northern Ireland in a playoff semi-final on March 26 in Bergamo, Italy.
If Italy wins that match, they will then take on the winner of Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the victor qualifying for the World Cup.
Italy, considered one of the foremost soccer nations in Europe, has not taken part in a men's FIFA World Cup since 2014.
