SportyTV, the African sports media platform, has secured pay-TV rights to international soccer’s showpiece 2026 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The deal will see SportyTV air all 104 matches from the tournament, which will take place across Mexico, the US, and Canada, between June 11 and July 19, in 16 host cities.
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All matches will be available on SportyTV’s OTT platform and mobile app. In addition to live match action, the broadcaster will provide pre- and post-match coverage from its studios in Cape Town and Madrid.
The platform will also offer a “fully integrated 360-degree content strategy, combining always-on digital output, social-first storytelling, and real-time fan engagement.”
Free-to-air rights to this year’s World Cup are held in South Africa by public-service broadcaster SABC after it struck a sub-license deal with soccer rightsholder New World TV in December.
Currently, SABC is the broadcaster of all men’s and women’s national team matches in a contract running through 2028.
SportyTV launched in South Africa last year with rights to the revamped FIFA Club World Cup international club competition.
The broadcaster operates in several major African countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya.
Elías Gallego, Sporty Group vice president of business development, marketing, and media, said: “We are building an ecosystem where content, technology, and engagement converge to deliver something entirely new to fans. The FIFA World Cup 2026 is the perfect stage to showcase that vision.”
The South Africa men’s national team – known as Bafana Bafana – will feature at the upcoming World Cup for the first time since hosting the major tournament in 2010.
The country subsequently failed to qualify for the 2014, 2018, and 2022 editions.
Just like in 2010, Bafana Bafana will feature in the opening World Cup match against Mexico, with the latter hosting the clash on this occasion at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11.
