With less than a month remaining before the FIFA World Cup 2026 begins, uncertainty continues over who will officially broadcast the tournament in India. The ongoing situation has drawn attention after Indian American investment firm Avni LLC claimed involvement in FIFA’s confidential media rights process for the Indian subcontinent.
The Washington based company stated that it participated in FIFA’s closed tender process by submitting a corporate guarantee backed by financial commitments exceeding 300 million dollars earlier this year. According to Avni LLC, one of its associated partners later secured the winning bid after competing against several major Indian broadcasting companies.
Despite these claims, FIFA has not yet officially announced a broadcasting partner for India. The global football organization has only stated that discussions related to the Indian market are still ongoing and confidential.
The lack of clarity has raised concerns that millions of football fans across India could face uncertainty regarding access to the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 next year. Industry analysts believe the delay could impact both television coverage and digital streaming availability in one of football’s fastest growing audiences worldwide.
Avni LLC said its proposal focused heavily on expanding football viewership beyond traditional television broadcasting. The company highlighted plans involving OTT streaming platforms, artificial intelligence driven multilingual commentary, mobile subscription services, and esports integration to increase football engagement across Asia.
Avni LLC President and Chief Executive Officer Deelip Mhaske stated that the Indian subcontinent has the potential to generate significantly greater broadcasting value than originally estimated because of its massive consumer base and rapidly increasing interest in football.
The unresolved situation in India stands in contrast to neighboring China, where China Media Group recently finalized a broadcasting agreement with FIFA for the upcoming tournament.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has also entered the discussion after issuing notices to the central government and Prasar Bharati over a petition demanding free to air telecast of the FIFA World Cup on public broadcasting platforms including DD Sports and Doordarshan.
The petition, filed under Article 226 of the Constitution by advocate Avdhesh Bairwa, argued that the continued absence of a confirmed broadcaster could prevent large sections of Indian viewers from watching one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
According to details mentioned in the petition, FIFA initially valued the India broadcasting package for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups at approximately 100 million dollars. However, due to reportedly limited broadcaster interest, the estimated valuation was later reduced to nearly 35 million dollars. Even after the reduction, the broadcasting rights deal remains unresolved.
