Indian-American firm enters race for FIFA World Cup 2026 India rights amid broadcast uncertainty

With less than a month left before the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins, uncertainty continues over who will broadcast the tournament in India, one of football’s fastest-growing markets.

Washington DC-based Indian-American investment firm Avni LLC has now claimed it played a key role in FIFA’s closed tender process for media rights in the Indian subcontinent. The company said it submitted a corporate guarantee backed by financial commitments of more than USD 300 million in February 2026 and that one of its associated partners later secured the winning bid after competing against several major Indian broadcasters.

Despite those claims, FIFA has not officially confirmed a broadcaster for India. The global football body has only stated that discussions related to the Indian market are “ongoing” and confidential.

The delay has raised concerns over whether millions of Indian viewers may face difficulties accessing the tournament, scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19 next year.

Avni LLC said its proposal focused not only on conventional television broadcasting but also on expanding football viewership through OTT streaming, AI-driven multilingual coverage, mobile-based subscriptions and esports integration across Asia.

“The Indian subcontinent alone has the ability to exceed initial valuation expectations,” said Deelip Mhaske, President and CEO of Avni LLC.

The situation stands in contrast to neighbouring China, where state broadcaster China Media Group finalised a comprehensive agreement with FIFA earlier this month.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Centre and Prasar Bharati over a petition seeking free-to-air telecast of the FIFA World Cup on public platforms such as DD Sports and Doordarshan.

Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav issued the notice while hearing a writ petition filed by advocate Avdhesh Bairwa under Article 226 of the Constitution.

The petition argued that no broadcaster has yet acquired the India media rights for the World Cup and warned that football fans across the country could miss one of the world’s biggest sporting events if the issue remains unresolved.

According to the plea, FIFA had initially valued the India broadcasting rights package for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups at around USD 100 million. However, due to limited interest from broadcasters, the value was reportedly reduced to nearly USD 35 million. Even after the reduction, the rights deal remains unsettled, the petition stated.