SBS To Broadcast 2030 FIFA World Cup – Reports

SBS has secured the broadcast rights of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, according to a report in the Australian Financial Review.

Revealed just days after SBS’s most successful World Cup on record, the AFR reports the public broadcaster quietly secured a deal with FIFA for the next instalment months ago.

SBS declined to comment on the report when contacted by B&T.

The 2026 rights were secured when FIFA executives visited Australia for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, with SBS, Nine and Paramount among the bidders. At the time FIFA wanted to wrap up rights for 2026 and 2030, but only settled on the US, Mexico and Canada tournament. That changed a few months ago with FIFA and SBS agreeing terms for 2030, the AFR reported.

This week B&T reported the 2026 FIFA World Cup delivered some of the largest TV audiences in SBS history (see table below), reaching nearly two thirds of Aussies (18 million) with more than 60 games with audiences hitting north of one million viewers. The average audience for live games was 682,000.

SBS said the expanded 104 game tournament and large TV audiences overdelivered for commercial partners Hyundai, Hisense, Macca’s, Rexona, bet365, Commonwealth Bank and Youi.

The 2030 tournament, which celebrates the World Cup’s 100 year anniversary, is being co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

The first few fixtures will be held in Uruguay (where the first World Cup was held), Argentina and Paraguay.

The majority of the next World Cup will be played in a European timezone, which is less friendly to Australia football fans than US timezones.

FIFA boss Giani Infantino has also flagged expanding the tournament to 64 teams, although such a proposal is likely to be unpopular in football strongholds Europe and South America.