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Netflix’s next shot on goal in live sports: the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
FIFA and Netflix announced an agreement granting the streamer exclusive rights in the U.S. to the 2027 and 2031 installments of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The companies said the deal “represents a landmark announcement for women’s football.”
The FIFA Women’s World Cup will be the first competition to be acquired in full by Netflix. According to FIFA, it “further reinforces the tournament’s status as the single biggest women’s sporting event on the planet and provides an outstanding platform to further promote the game.”
Under the terms of the pact, Netflix will deliver to U.S.-based fans “unparalleled access” to every match live and “immersive coverage,” including studio shows. The agreement includes Puerto Rico and covers all languages, with top-tier talent poised to feature in a dual telecast for both English- and Spanish-language broadcasts in the U.S.
Popular on Variety The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 will take place in Brazil from June 24-July 25 and will see the 32 best national teams from around the globe compete on the pitch. The host nation or nations for the 2031 tournament are yet to be selected by FIFA Congress.
For the 2023 Women’s World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, U.S. broadcast rights were split between Fox Sports and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo, which also were the U.S. rightsholders for the 2015 and 2019 tournaments.
In addition to offering live coverage, Netflix will produce exclusive documentary series in the lead-up to both tournaments, spotlighting the world’s top players, their journeys and the global growth of women’s football.
Netflix’s pickup of the two Women’s World Cup tourneys for U.S. members is its latest push into live sports. Next week, on Christmas Day, Netflix is set to livestream two NFL games (Chiefs vs. Steelers and Ravens vs. Texans) for the first time to a global audience, plus a halftime show featuring Beyoncé at the Ravens-Texans game. Netflix also has rights to at least one holiday NFL game in 2025 and ’26. In addition, starting in January 2025, Netflix will run WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” live each week under a multibillion-dollar, 10-year pact.
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“I’ve seen the fandom for the FIFA Women’s World Cup grow tremendously – from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019 to, most recently, the incredible energy we saw across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand last year,” said Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria. “Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix isn’t just about streaming matches, it’s also about celebrating the players, the culture and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sport.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino called it “a landmark moment for sports media rights.”
“As a marquee brand and FIFA’s new long-term partner, Netflix has shown a very strong level of commitment to growing women’s football,” Infantino said. “This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game. FIFA and Netflix partnering together makes this a truly historic day for broadcasting and for women’s football.”
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Netflix’s soccer-related content has included “Under Pressure: The U.S. Women’s World Cup Team,” “Captains of the World” (in partnership with FIFA), “Neymar: The Perfect Chaos,” “Beckham,” “Sunderland ’Til I Die” and “Boca Juniors Confidential.” The streamer also has upcoming documentaries set to be released on Vinícius Júnior and José Mourinho.
(Pictured above: Sophia Smith of the U.S. controls the ball against Filippa Angeldal of Sweden during the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Round of 16 match at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Aug. 6, 2023.)
