Streaming service Netflix has clinched the exclusive domestic television rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer tournament in 2027 and 2031, the organization revealed late last week.
The 2027 Women’s World Cup soccer tournament will take place in Brazil, with the host country of the 2031 Women’s World Cup soccer tournament to be revealed in the near future.
Gianni Infantino, the President of FIFA, called the decision to award Netflix the U.S. telecast rights to the women’s tournament a “landmark moment for sports media rights.”
“As a marquee brand and FIFA’s new long-term partner, Netflix has shown a very strong level of commitment to growing women’s football,” Infantino said. “This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game. FIFA and Netflix partnering together makes this a truly historic day for broadcasting and for women’s football.”
Netflix is the biggest streaming media partner for FIFA to date. Typically, the global soccer organization prefers to partner with over-the-air broadcasters, like Fox, in order to reach the widest possible audience for its soccer tournament. Fox has the U.S. telecast rights to the 2026 Men’s World Cup soccer tournament. In the United Kingdom, public service broadcasters BBC and ITV have shared telecast rights to the men’s and women’s tournament over the past few years.
Netflix has become more aggressive in pursuing live sports rights for its streaming service in an effort to further grow its global subscriber base and retain paying customers. Later this week, the streaming service will air two National Football League games — the company’s biggest domestic sports events to date. In the past few years, Netflix has produced and distributed golf tournaments and comedy shows, among other events; in the fall, Netflix produced a live boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
