Japanese advertising giant Dentsu has acquired the domestic broadcasting rights for soccer’s showpiece 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The “comprehensive” media rights package includes broadcasting and streaming, with viewers in Japan to be offered multiple viewing methods.
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The tournament will be held in Canada, Mexico, and the US between June 11 and July 19, 2026, with 48 teams competing and a total of 104 matches.
Dentsu said it has “collaborated with broadcasters and over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service providers to build a system that will enable the excitement of the tournament to be shared throughout Japan.”
The planned broadcasting and streaming system will see Japan national team matches broadcast in multiple formats, including live terrestrial broadcasting.
Furthermore, all 104 matches, including Japan games, will be live-streamed on video streaming services.
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By GlobalDataRomy Guy, FIFA chief business officer, said: “We at FIFA are delighted to further strengthen our long-standing partnership with Dentsu in Japan. Japan is the first country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
“Thanks to Dentsu's innovative efforts, matches will be broadcast and streamed through a powerful combination of terrestrial and OTT, ensuring a rich viewing environment for all fans in Japan to enjoy the tournament.”
FIFA has historically appointed agencies – predominantly Infront – for selling media rights in the Asia-Pacific region, except for South Korea, Japan, and Malaysia, where it has managed sales directly.
Last year, the federation shifted its strategy and began selling media rights for the current World Cup cycle directly in the entire Asian market for the first time after taking the process in-house.
In the 2019-2022 World Cup sales cycle, Switzerland-based Infront sold media rights for FIFA in 26 Asian countries.
Despite a long-running relationship with Infront, the organization opted to negotiate deals in-house to “closer manage its broadcast relationships.”
However, FIFA did retain Infront as an advisor in selected Asian territories on media rights for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Women’s World Cup.
These markets are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
