Netflix may try to bring soccer’s biggest event to its streaming lineup after Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria confirmed the company is interested in future FIFA men’s World Cup rights.
“Obviously it’s a beloved sport around the world, and we have the Women’s World Cup, so I’m really excited about that. We have a great partnership and relationship with FIFA, so we’re definitely going to always have those conversations,” Bajaria told CNBC.
Bajaria returned to the subject at the Financial Times’ Business of Entertainment Summit on Sept. 24. She said Netflix wants sports programming that feels “eventy,” according to Deadline, and pointed again to the streamer’s existing work with FIFA.
“We have a great relationship with [FIFA] because we have the Women’s World Cup and [we’re] having those conversations,” Bajaria said. “We’re always going to be in the conversation with the leagues.”
That is not a deal announcement, and Netflix has not publicly committed to a bid. Still, Bajaria’s comments put the streaming giant squarely in a potentially expensive contest for US rights to the 2030 and 2034 tournaments.
CNBC reported in July that Netflix, Disney and YouTube had shown interest in challenging Fox for the rights, while Amazon and Apple could also enter the race. People familiar with the early discussions said media executives were budgeting between $1.5 billion and $2 billion for each tournament.
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FIFA has also signaled that it will likely sell the English- and Spanish-language US rights together, CNBC reported. Fox held the English-language rights for the 2026 tournament, while NBCUniversal’s Telemundo carried the Spanish-language coverage.
Fox paid $485 million for its package, while Telemundo paid $600 million, according to CNBC. FIFA first negotiated those agreements in 2011 before extending them through the 2026 tournament four years later.
Netflix already has a sizable head start in its relationship with soccer’s governing body. The service will be the exclusive US and Canadian home of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031, with every match included across its subscription plans.
Coverage will air in English and Spanish in the United States and in English and French in Canada. Netflix also plans studio programming, commentary and documentaries designed to bring viewers closer to the teams and players.
Bajaria’s interest in the men’s tournament matches Netflix’s broader preference for sports that can become cultural moments rather than simply fill a schedule.
“The thing about an event is it’s buzzy, cultural, zeitgeist,” she told CNBC.
The 2030 World Cup already has a fittingly global shape. FIFA selected Morocco, Portugal and Spain as the main hosts, with centenary celebration matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay; Saudi Arabia will stage the 2034 tournament.
For families, where the games land will matter almost as much as who plays in them. A Netflix victory could put one of the few remaining true appointment-viewing events behind a familiar streaming subscription, turning living rooms into the stands for a month at a time.
For now, Netflix has a relationship, an appetite and a seat near the negotiating table — but not the trophy. The rights race is only beginning.
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