When FIFA finally struck a last-minute deal with ZEE Entertainment to broadcast the 2026 World Cup in India, football fans breathed a sigh of relief. After months of uncertainty, the world's biggest sporting event had found a home.Days into the tournament, however, many fans are asking a different question: was this the right home?Also Read: Zee puts FIFA World Cup behind paywall to grow subscriber baseSocial media platforms, particularly Reddit and X, have been flooded with complaints about buffering, crashes, login issues and what users describe as surprisingly poor video quality for a premium sporting event.On Reddit, one user wrote, “Zee5 sold a product based on specific terms, changed the terms post-purchase, and is now hiding from customers. Textbook consumer violation if I've ever seen one.”(Image Credit: Reddit)Another complaint gaining traction on X read: "Worst service by #zee5 , Fifa wc deserves better broadcast."The criticism comes despite ZEE's assurances that it had upgraded the technology infrastructure of ZEE5 ahead of the tournament and put in place multiple layers of resilience to handle traffic spikes during the World Cup.Perhaps the biggest source of frustration has been video quality. While many global broadcasters are streaming at 4K, ZEE5 offers Full HD streams at up to 1080p on supported devices. On web browsers, however, quality is capped at 480p due to anti-piracy measures, according to the company's support page.(Image Credit: Reddit)For football fans accustomed to watching premium sports on rival platforms, the absence of 4K has become a flashpoint. Complaints around video quality and pricing surfaced as early as the opening match between Mexico and South Africa and have persisted into marquee fixtures such as Brazil's clash against Morocco.Media reports have documented viewers encountering app crashes, buffering and login failures during live games. India Today described some fans as "sleepless and streamless" on opening night after they stayed awake only to struggle with accessing the stream.The backlash also extends to pricing. Several users have criticised the ₹799 World Cup package and confusion around device access and subscription tiers.Another user on X wrote, “I subscribed to the World Cup Pack because it was advertised as supporting 3 devices, allowing my family to share the subscription. After payment, the device limit was changed to 1 device only.”Dear @ZEE5India,I subscribed to the World Cup Pack because it was advertised as supporting 3 devices, allowing my family to share the subscription. After payment, the device limit was changed to 1 device only.This is misleading and unfair to consumers. Please resolve this…— Jimmy Jose (@Jimmmyjose) June 11, 2026 ZEE5's own support page clarifies that regular Premium subscriptions do not include FIFA access and users must separately purchase the World Cup pack.To be fair, streaming a global event of this scale is no easy task. The 2026 World Cup is the largest ever, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches spread across North America. Time zone differences mean many games are being watched in India late at night, creating concentrated spikes in viewership.Also Read: Ahead of FIFA World Cup, ZEEL ramps up Zee5 tech, anti-piracy measuresBut for ZEE, the stakes go beyond football.The company secured rights to 39 FIFA events through 2034 in a deal that gives it a foothold in India's fiercely competitive sports broadcasting market, long dominated by JioStar.Whether ZEE5 can turn around fan sentiment over the coming weeks may determine not just the success of its World Cup gamble, but also its ambitions to become a serious sports streaming player in India.