US media giant Fox Corp has bolstered its media rights portfolio across Mexico and Central America after striking a new multi-year broadcast deal with German soccer’s top-tier Bundesliga.
This deal will begin with the upcoming 2026-27 campaign and run through the 2030-31 season, with Fox to showcase all 306 Bundesliga games each season, as well as the season-opening German Super Cup game, and the post-season promotion/relegation playoffs, making 309 games in total.
Fox will provide both English and Spanish-language commentary on these games across its primary FOX linear channel, the Fox One OTT offering, and its free ad-supported streaming service Tubi.
Additional ancillary programming will be supplied to Fox through the deal, produced by the Guadalajara, Mexico-based Bundesliga Americas Studio team.
The agreement covers the major Mexican market, as well as Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Speaking on the deal, Bundesliga Americas executive vice-president Robin Austermann commented: “By combining our content studio in Guadalajara and the great platform FOX provides, the Bundesliga is speaking directly to Mexican fans every day: in their language, in their football culture.”
Fox’s executive director for acquisitions and marketing in Latin America, Luis Maldonado, added: “This agreement with the Bundesliga reinforces our vision of offering one of the strongest and most relevant international football portfolios in the market.”
Sports rights held by Fox in Mexico primarily center on domestic and international soccer, including Mexico’s top-flight Liga MX and Liga MX Femminile, Europe’s UEFA Champions League, North America’s Concacaf Champions Cup, Italy’s Coppa Italia domestic cup competition, France’s top-tier Ligue 1, and England’s elite Premier League.
Sky Mexico, the pay-TV operator owned by Televisa, has broadcast Bundesliga action in the region since the 2020-21 season, but will end its partnership at the current campaign’s conclusion, with Fox likely preferred due to its wider array of viewing options across linear TV and video on demand.
The Americas is a major target region for the Bundesliga, which has succeeded in growing its presence in the region over the past few years, evidenced by the league’s Spanish-language Instagram and TikTok accounts, which boast a combined follower count of over 275,500.
Austermann continued: “As we intensify our focus on these vibrant regions through our internationalization strategy, our close collaboration with Relevent Sports and our new media partnership with FOX will ensure even broader distribution and deeper engagement.”
Relevent Sports is the Bundesliga’s strategic partner across the Americas through a long-term partnership – understood to last through 2041, 17 years in total – with the remit to expand commercial activity across the continents.
Although no Mexican or Central American players currently play in the Bundesliga, in past years, high-profile footballers from the region, such as Mexico legends Javier Hernandez (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) and Pavel Pardo (VfB Stuttgart), have appeared in the competition.
With Germany set to compete in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted in Mexico, the Bundesliga will be looking to capitalize on the tentpole competition with an increased market share in the region.
