FIFA, international soccer's governing body, has launched an invitation to tender (ITT) in Italy to sell media rights in the market for men's soccer's 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The tender went live in the country yesterday, with a submission deadline for bids set for 10 AM (Central European Time) on November 25.

Media companies and organisations wishing to participate in the tender process can request the ITT by emailing italy-media-rights@fifa.org.

FIFA said the tender process will allow it to “select the entity, or entities, in Italy, that is best placed to secure the required transmission and programming commitments with a view to achieving its objective to reach the widest possible audience and to provide a high-quality viewing experience for fans.”

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was shown in Italy by public service broadcaster Rai.

Italy have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups - in 2018 and 2022 - and are yet to secure qualification for next year’s edition in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

With just two qualifiers left, Italy sit second in their group, three points behind Norway, and with a far inferior goal difference, which separates teams on the same points. The two countries meet in the final qualifying match in Italy on November 16.

Italy will, therefore, likely have to qualify through the play-off route again, which they failed to do for the 2022 tournament, losing to North Macedonia.

FIFA’s most recent World Cup media rights tender was issued in Myanmar last month, covering the 2026 tournament and the 2027 women's edition.

In late July, meanwhile, a tender was launched in the Indian subcontinent, also covering the 2026 and 2027 World Cups (as well as the 2030 men's tournament).

That sales process covers India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and the bidding deadline was September 2.