New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice on a petition seeking the broadcast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India through the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and will consist of 104 matches played across 16 host cities. The final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
A bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav sought the Centre and Prasar Bharati’s response to a petition filed by advocate Avdhesh Bairwa, even as he said that the relief sought in the petition resembles a public interest litigation (PIL).
In his petition, argued by senior advocate Vaibhav Gaggar along with advocate Ankit Konwar, Bairwa sought the interim telecast of eight matches, the opening match, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final, on free-to-air platforms. He contended that historically each edition of the FIFA World Cup has had a commercial broadcaster in India, but as of now, no broadcaster has secured the Indian media rights for the event.
He further argued that India is among FIFA’s largest viewership markets, citing 745.7 million interactions during the 2022 World Cup, and urged the court to direct the authorities to secure broadcast rights for all 104 matches of the tournament.
The petition further stated that the matter is of utmost urgency as the FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to commence on June 11, and the opening match itself has been recognised as an event of national importance. It argued that without timely judicial intervention by the court, the petitioner and millions of Indian citizens would be irreparably deprived of their fundamental rights, with no adequate alternative remedy available.
The matter will be next heard on May 20.
