Fifa’s threatens blocking Women’s World Cup broadcast in ‘big 5’ European countries

Fifa says it will be forced not to screen the Women’s World Cup – being held in New Zealand and Australia in July and August – in five major European countries unless broadcasters pay more for the media rights.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said the offers from Italy, Germany, France, United Kingdom and Spain were “still very disappointing and simply not acceptable”.

In a statement posted to the Fifa website and shared his own Instagram account, Infantino didn’t pull any punches.

“Today, I have repeated my call for broadcasters to pay a fair price for Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023 media rights,” he said.

“We did our part: Fifa has raised the prize money to US$152 million, treble the amount paid in 2019 and ten times more than in 2015 (before I became Fifa president).

”However, the offers from broadcasters, mainly in the ‘Big 5’ European countries, are still very disappointing and simply not acceptable.

”This is a slap in the face of all the great Fifa Women’s World Cup players and indeed of all women worldwide.”

Infantino said broadcasters were only willing to stump up US$1 million-$10 million for the rights, compared to US$100 million-$200 million for rights to last year’s men’s World Cup.

Due to the time-zone difference in New Zealand and Australia, Women’s World Cup matches will be held outside prime-time viewing hours for European markets, but Infantino said that was no excuse.

He said revenue from the broadcast rights would be entirely reinvested in women’s football, and public broadcasters had a duty to promote and invest in women’s sport.

“It doesn’t make any economic sense because the viewing figures are there,” he added.

“Maybe, because it is in Australia and New Zealand, it’s not played on prime-time in Europe, but still, it is played at 9am or 10am, so it is quite a reasonable time.

“To be very clear, it is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the Fifa Women’s World Cup.”

More than 1 billion viewers tuned into the last Women’s World Cup, held in France in 2019.

All 64 games of this year’s tournament will be broadcast live on Sky Sport in New Zealand.