Fox Sports and Telemundo are expected to
more than double their advertising revenue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held in North America starting next week, according to reports.
One projected analysis on the U.S.
advertising market from publication Sportico says advertising for the event could total $850 million.
Morgan Stanley estimates $300 million to $400 million for direct advertising on Fox
platforms.
Total U.S advertising spend four years ago for the 2022 FIFA World Cup amounted to $282 million on Fox Sports/Telemundo, according to estimates from iSpot.
In 2022, Fox Corp.'s platforms (the Fox Television Network and Fox Sports cable networks) took in $146 million, with major advertising brands including Verizon, Google Pixel and
Walmart.
NBCUniversal’s Telemundo/Universo earned $136.1 million, from marketers including Coca-Cola, Ford Motor, and T-Mobile.
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This year, Fox Sports,
which holds the exclusive English-language rights, will air 70 matches on Fox Television Network, and 34 on FSI as well as on streaming platform Fox One, and Fox Sports apps.
Telemundo/Universo, which holds the Spanish-language rights, will air 92 matches on Telemundo, and 12 on Universo with streaming on Peacock.
For this year’s event, in terms
of global sponsorship deals with FIFA, the world football (soccer) organization, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is expected to earn between $2.4 billion and $2.8 billion in deals -- up 50% from the 2022
event in Qatar.
Major global sponsors include Visa, Coca-Cola and McDonald's, and PepsiCo. Estimates are that some FIFA 16 major global sponsorships have paid in excess of $100
million for a multiyear event.
The estimated total for FIFA revenue from global media rights, sponsorships, and ticket sales is estimated at $13 billion -- nearly double the amount
for the 2022 event in Qatar, which came in at $7.5 billion.
The tournament will have 104 matches over 39 days -- from June 11 through July 19 -- in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
This story has been updated.