Football Australia, the governing body of soccer in that country, has announced the extension of its exclusive domestic broadcast partnership with the Paramount media giant’s Australian arm.
Paramount, through its commercial channel Network 10, its 10 Play free OTT service, and the Paramount+ paid OTT offering, will serve as the exclusive broadcaster of Australian national team fixtures through 2028.
The partnership, brokered by global agency IMG, utilizes soccer rights Football Australia has retained in a renewed tie-up with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) continental soccer governing body.
Through the extension of a deal first agreed in 2021, Football Australia will continue as the official rightsholder of all major AFC national team competitions in the country, which it will deliver through the also renewed Paramount partnership.
This includes the pan-continental Asian Cup’s 2027 edition qualifiers for that competition, FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, the AFC U23 Asian Cups in 2026 and 2028, as well as the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 (which will be hosted in Australia).
Football Australia also secured the entire rights to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will also be shown on Paramount outlets.
Paramount will present coverage of Australia’s men’s team (the Socceroos) and women’s team (the Matildas) up to the LA28 Olympic Games, with the exception of the team's matches during the FIFA World Cup 2026 proper.
James Johnson, the chief executive of Football Australia, stated on the impact of the agreement: “This landmark agreement with Paramount Australia is a pivotal moment for Australian football. It brings unprecedented exposure to our national teams and provides fans with unparalleled access to the Matildas and Socceroos.
“Reacquiring the AFC national team rights and securing the broadcast rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 are strategic moves designed to maximize control over our content, enhance fan accessibility, and unlock new revenue streams.
"These rights are integral to our strategy to secure a transformative broadcast deal that we anticipate will set new benchmarks in the valuation of football media rights in Australia. Bringing as much national team content as possible to a multi-platform partner was a key objective from a fan's perspective, and we are thrilled to achieve this.”
Football Australia became an AFC member in 2006, and the men's national team has qualified for the quadrennial FIFA World Cup showpiece edition every year since, with five straight World Cup qualifications and two round-of-16 appearances owing to the development of soccer in the country.
