Italian public-service broadcaster Rai has finalized a deal to secure exclusive, multi-platform free-to-air rights in the country to soccer's 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Through the agreement, Rai has been awarded rights to show 35 matches from the upcoming major tournament, to be held across June and July in Mexico, the US, and Canada.
The broadcaster’s package includes the opening match, all games featuring the Italian national team (should they qualify), the semi-finals, and the final, as well as non-exclusive radio rights to all matches.
Rai plans to provide extensive coverage of the World Cup, broadcasting at least 32 matches on its main Rai 1 channel and offering highlights and clips of all the competition's matches across its TV and digital platforms.
Italy will face Northern Ireland in a playoff semi-final on March 26 in Bergamo, and if they win, will then take on the winner of Wales vs Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the victor in that final qualifying for the World Cup.
Given that the Italian rights were allocated before those playoffs, Rai has committed despite Italy's involvement still being in doubt.
Italy, considered one of the foremost soccer nations in Europe, has not taken part in a men's FIFA World Cup since 2014.
The national team's failure to qualify would - as seen in recent editions - lead to a decrease in viewing figures and advertising revenue.
Rai also covered the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
FIFA launched its invitation to tender (ITT) process for World Cup rights in Italy in mid-October, with a submission deadline of November 25.
Earlier this month, it was widely reported in Italy that DAZN, the global sports subscription platform, was in final-stage negotiations, along with Rai, to acquire World Cup rights.
At the time, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Sportcal (GlobalData Sport) that DAZN is in the last set of contract negotiations around a deal, with confirmation expected imminently.
DAZN would be adding World Cup rights in Italy to those already secured in both Japan (announced last December) and Spain (announced earlier this month). In Japan, DAZN will air all 104 games from the tournament, while in Spain it will do the same through a deal with Mediapro.
The sports streamer is already a mainstay of soccer broadcasting in Italy, where it covers the top domestic Serie A league in a deal running through the 2028-29 season.
In terms of recent rights deals for this year's World Cup, Now TV, the Hong Kong pay-TV broadcaster owned by IT and telecommunications giant PCCW, secured exclusive rights in that country this week. Earlier this month, Singaporean state broadcaster Mediacorp also agreed terms to show all 104 matches.
