Netflix Acquires World Cup Rights in Spain

In a bold move into live sports coverage in Europe, Netflix has secured exclusive rights to the 2030 World Cup in host and defending champion Spain.

Netflix has made a big play in the live sports business in Europe, acquiring all the rights to Spain and Andorra for the 2030 FIFA World Cup from FIFA.

The deal, unveiled on Tuesday, gives Netflix exclusive rights in territories for all 104 games of the tournament. The broadcaster plans to do it all with full live match coverage and pre-match, half-time and post-match shows, as well as daily replays on matchdays. Netflix announced that it is also planning extensive pre-tournament programming to build excitement before the event.

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Not all matches will be behind a Netflix paywall. As part of the agreement, Netflix will make one match per day available for free in Spain and will sub-license the matches, including every Spanish match, semi-final and final, to a national free-to-air broadcaster.

Spain, the current World Cup champion, will host the 2030 tournament along with Morocco and Portugal. 2030 will mark the event's 100th anniversary, and celebratory matches will also be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

This isn't Netflix's first big football deal. The broadcaster holds the rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups and earlier this year announced a four-year deal with the confederation of Central American and Caribbean football (CONCACAF) to broadcast the Nations League finals and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Mexico starting in 2027.

But getting the rights to the World Cup in the heart of Europe, for one of the craziest countries in the world, is a big step for Netflix and a clear sign of the company's ambitions for live international sports. In the US, Netflix currently carries NFL and MLB games, as well as select boxing, MMA and WME events.

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