4 min readApr 24, 2026 10:55 PM IST Forty-six days remain until kick-off between Mexico and South Africa, and no Indian broadcaster is publicising that they will show the football World Cup yet. FIFA, which first quoted $100 million for broadcasting rights for two editions (2026 and 2030), have now been forced to drag down the asking price to $35 million. Those in the know of developments in Indian sports broadcasting, delved into the different reasons why they are shying away from the quadrennial showpiece, one of the most-watched sporting events in the world. “There was a huge mismatch between the seller’s (FIFA) asking price, and the advertising revenue that a buyer could generate. FIFA quoted too high a figure,” an industry insider said. This time around, the major factor of huge concern is the fact that of the 104 FIFA WC matches this June-July, only 10% will not take place between midnight and 6am IST. It’s a bad hour anyway, and given India doesn’t feature, 90% of matches are not really attractive for a …