Sport 24, the in-flight and on-ship entertainment service owned by international sports agency IMG, has secured live rights for soccer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Through the deal, struck with world governing body FIFA, all 104 matches will be broadcast across the Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra channels during the national team competition, which is being staged in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
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The flagship 48-team tournament will run from June 11 to July 19 next year and will be Sport 24's fourth consecutive edition of the men’s competition. The channel’s coverage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup saw the service broadcast more than 175 live hours of the tournament in Qatar, reaching 1.4 million passengers tuning in to watch inflight.
Richard Wise, senior vice-president of content and channels at IMG, said: “Sport 24 is all about bringing passengers live coverage of the world’s greatest sporting competitions, wherever they are in the world.
“We are delighted to once again broadcast extensive coverage of the FIFA World Cup live across our channels.”
Sport 24 is available on 610 aircrafts including Etihad Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Cathay Pacific, as well as 119 cruise ships including Carnival Group, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Fred Olsen.
Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra are produced from IMG’s production HQ at Stockley Park.
The service also provides live coverage of European soccer club competitions organized by UEFA, motor racing’s Formula 1, basketball’s NBA, American football’s NFL (inflight only), all golf majors, the four tennis grand slams, and several cricket tournaments.
It also recently extended its partnership with Asian soccer’s AFC governing body to cover its continental competitions through 2028-29.
FIFA recently released the tenders for next year’s tournament in several regions including Germany, Spain, and Hong Kong.
In terms of recently announced deals, meanwhile, December saw the BBC and ITV retain men’s World Cup rights in the UK, while Netflix made waves by securing rights in the US to the 2027 and 2031 women’s tournaments.
