FIFA, global soccer’s governing body, has today (November 8) launched two separate tender processes covering media rights in South Korea for a duo of major tournaments in 2026 and 2027.
One covers the men’s FIFA World Cup in 2026, to be held in Mexico, the US, and Canada, and also allows for the opportunity for interested parties to bid for the 2030 World Cup, which will take place across three European countries (Spain, Portugal, and Morocco), and three in South America (Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay).
The other invitation to tender (ITT) is for rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027 - host nation as yet unallocated - and also allows for the opportunity of bidding for the 2031 edition of that tournament.
The submission deadline for bids across both tenders is December 5, and parties looking to participate can request the documents by contacting korearepublic-mediarights@fifa.org.
The last men’s World Cup, Qatar 2022, was covered by a trio of South Korean networks - KBS, MBC, and SBS. South Korea were knocked out at the round of 16 stage of that tournament.
The same broadcasters also held rights for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup earlier this year in Australia and New Zealand.
The bidding process for the 2027 edition of the Women’s World Cup is already underway, with the host(s) expected to be announced in May 2024.
FIFA has said the tenders will allow it to select the broadcasters “who are best placed to secure the required transmission and programming commitments to achieve FIFA’s objective of reaching the widest possible audience whilst providing a high-quality viewing experience for fans.”
A similar process for FIFA media rights was launched in Australia in mid-August, also covering potentially as many as four tournaments.
At the end of last month, free-to-air Australian broadcaster SBS announced it would remain the exclusive men’s World Cup broadcast partner.
Late October also saw the path cleared for Saudi Arabia to host the men’s World Cup in 2034, meanwhile, as Australia pulled out of the running.
