International soccer’s governing body FIFA has begun the tender process for media rights to its revamped Club World Cup competition, across the (inaugural) 2025 and 2029 editions.
The tender stretches across the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with a bid deadline of 4pm Central European Time on August 20.
The first-ever edition of the new FIFA CWC, to be held in the US between June 15 and July 13, will include 32 clubs (a significant expansion from previous editions) divided into eight groups of four, with 63 matches to be played in total.
Initial discussions between FIFA and global tech giant Apple about global streaming rights to the tournament have failed to produce a deal, necessitating a formal tender process.
Following this tender across the Americas, APAC, and MENA, a second phase “covering Europe as well as sub-Saharan Africa” will be held ‘in due course,” FIFA has said.
Invitation to tender documents can be obtained by emailing FCWC-media-rights@fifa.org.
The talks between Apple and FIFA - originally reported in April - would have seen a deal of around $1 billion put in place, for worldwide rights.
The 2025 FIFA CWC is set to be the first to include 32 teams - up from eight currently - through a new format in which FIFA’s continental governing bodies will all - apart from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) - receive multiple team slots.
Europe’s UEFA, with 12, will have the most teams involved. The line-up will include Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, and Red Bull Salzburg.
Other clubs will include Palmeiras (Brazil) and River Plate (Argentina), Al Ahly (Egypt) and Wydad AC (Morocco), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) and Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Seattle (US) and Monterrey (Mexico), and Auckland City from New Zealand.
The inaugural edition is scheduled to act as a build-up event before the FIFA World Cup, set to be held in the US, Canada, and Mexico, in mid-2026.
FIFA has also stated that it reserves the right to involve the participating clubs, such as those listed above, “in respect of the evaluation, assessment or decision-making elements of this ITT process.”
This includes teams represented by the European Club Association, with which FIFA has an agreement.
FIFA is also currently selling media rights to its national team World Cups - men’s and women’s - over the next few years.
In mid-June, the Switzerland-based governing body launched the tender process for worldwide in-ship and in-flight media rights to its 2026 (men’s) and 2027 (women’s) World Cups.
