2026 World Cup: Rai and DAZN to broadcast the competition in Italy

Public broadcasting group Rai and the OTT platform DAZN have acquired the broadcasting rights to the 2026 World Cup in Italy, they announced on 27/02/2026.

DAZN will broadcast the full competition while Rai will broadcast 35 games on its channels. These games include the broadcast of the opening match, fixtures of the Italian national team, the semi-finals and the final, as well as radio rights and highlights of all the matches.

The Italian national team has yet to qualify for the competition and will face Northern Ireland in the semi-final of the European Zone playoffs on 26/03, before facing either Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina (on 31/03) in the final.

• The 2022 World Cup was broadcast exclusively and in full by Rai in Italy, even though the national team did not qualify for the competition.

2026 World Cup: broadcasters in the European Top 5

France: M6 and beIN SPORTS

The private free-TV group M6 has acquired the exclusive free-to-air broadcasting rights in France for 54 matches of the 2026 World Cup and the same number for the 2030 World Cup on 07/03/2024. M6 is said to have…