Zee Entertainment Enterprises is nearing a deal to acquire India media rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after JioStar exited the race, likely ending uncertainty over the tournament’s broadcast and streaming availability in the country.Negotiations are still underway and an agreement is expected to be signed soon, people familiar with the matter said.Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2026 revenues set to top $6 billion even as India rights deal remains pendingIn an exchange filing on Tuesday, Zee confirmed it is in talks with Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to broadcast and stream the world cup in India as part of its efforts to “build a competitive sports content offering.”Financial details of the proposed deal could not be immediately ascertained.The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.People aware of the negotiations said JioStar had made a final offer of about $15 million before backing out, citing the narrow window between the signing of the agreement and the start of the tournament, leaving limited time for monetisation.While football enjoys a sizeable audience base in India, drawing nearly 300 million television and digital viewers in 2025, it remains a niche advertising property compared with cricket and offers lower advertising inventory.Industry executives had said any bid exceeding $10-15 million would amount to overpaying, given the limited monetisation opportunity.The time-zone difference for matches in North America is expected to weigh on viewership and advertising revenues, they noted. Also, advertiser sentiment is cautious amid economic uncertainty linked to geopolitical tensions in West Asia.The development marks a major push by Zee to rebuild and expand sports business at a time when broadcasters are increasingly pursuing premium live sports content to drive audience engagement and advertising revenues.The company had exited sports broadcasting in 2016 after selling Ten Sports to Sony Pictures Networks India for $385 million.Zee re-entered sports in 2021 by acquiring the long-term global media rights for the International League T20 (ILT20) in a deal estimated at $100-150 million, signalling its intent to rebuild a sports portfolio.Also Read: Is FIFA World Cup 2026 finally coming to Indian screens? Big update expected next weekThe broadcaster is now sharpening its focus on sports with plans to launch four channels: Unite8 Sports 1 and Unite8 Sports 1 HD in Hindi, and Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD in English.The channels are expected to feature content spanning football, cricket, kabaddi, badminton, wrestling, boxing and combat sports, among others. Zee has already submitted the required applications for the launch of the channels, according to its filing.Speaking about the launch, Bavesh Janavlekar, chief business officer, Unite8 Sports, at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, said sports consumption in India is accelerating rapidly, driven by growing demand for live, appointment-based content and rising audience affinity for multiple sporting formats.The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks a historic expansion of the tournament as the first edition to feature 48 teams, up from the traditional 32.FIFA’s India media rights sale process for the event has undergone multiple revisions. The football governing body initially began negotiations in July 2025, seeking more than $100 million for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups combined.However, it faced muted interest from incumbent JioStar, Sony Pictures Networks India and Zee, forcing it to lower expectations to around $35 million, according to industry executives.India remains among the last major markets where FIFA has struggled to close a media rights agreement. For the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Viacom18 had acquired the India rights for an estimated $61-62 million.The 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup is expected to generate the highest sponsorship revenue in the tournament’s history, with combined media rights and sponsorship revenues projected to exceed $6 billion, according to estimates by Ampere Analysis.“While FIFA is currently below its target for media rights revenue for this Men’s World Cup, deals are yet to be confirmed in some Asian markets,” said Danni Moore, senior analyst, sports media rights, at Ampere Analysis.