Chinese TV official slams price of World Cup broadcasting rights: 'FIFA are corrupt under Infantino!'

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FT Desk

China Central Television President Shen Haixiong has criticised the price of broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup.

At the moment, FIFA are involved in a stalemate with both China and India with regards to a deal for broadcasting the 2026 World Cup this summer, which takes place across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

With accessibility to matches and a huge increase in the number of fixtures due to the expansion to 48 teams, this could be the most viewed World Cup ever in terms of television viewing figures.

But, that might not be the case in China, who have made no official decision on who will broadcast matches and India, who are currently in a deadlock over broadcasting rights.

China and India have a combined population of nearly three billion people so no coverage in these countries would come as a blow to FIFA who are keen to emphasise the global nature of the tournament.

FIFA were reportedly demanding $300 million from China and CCTV to secure broadcast rights.

“FIFA have become corrupt under Infantino," Haixiong said, as quoted by Iceland newspaper, VISIR.

"All they care about now is money — the fans are no longer their concern. Just look at the ticket prices for World Cup matches. How can an average working-class person afford them?

“Football used to belong to everyone, but they have slowly taken that away from the middle class.

“They could lose a combined audience of 3 billion people from India and China alone if they do not reduce their greed.”

India and China together accounted for 22.6% of ​total global digital streaming reach for the 2022 tournament four years ago.

When asked to comment, FIFA released a statement which said:

"Discussions in China and India regarding the sale ⁠of media rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 are ongoing and must remain confidential at this stage."

China has more football fans than any country in the world, around 200 million, but the nation's non-participation in the tournament itself is believed to be an issue when it comes to broadcast negotiations, while the timing of matches is also a concern.

FIFA has since lowered its asking price, with reports putting the revised figure around $120 million to $150 million, but the gap with CCTV still has not been closed. The talks are also tied to a broader package that may include rights for both the 2026 and 2030 tournaments, which complicates the deal further.

The practical risk is that Chinese viewers could face an official broadcast blackout for the World Cup if no agreement is reached soon. That would be unusual for such a major market, especially this close to kickoff