Boxing - Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius Press Conference - Pan Pacific London, London, Britain - August 9, 2023 A DAZN signage is pictured during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/ File Photo
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sports streaming platform DAZN will be the exclusive global broadcaster for the 32-team 2025 Club World Cup, FIFA said on Wednesday, with the deal worth a reported $1 billion.
The sports-streaming group, which is a broadcasting partner for Italy's Serie A, Spain's LaLiga, Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1, said they will make all 63 matches at the June 15 to July 13 tournament in the United States freely available.
"This groundbreaking deal with FIFA is a major milestone in DAZN’s journey to be the ultimate entertainment platform of choice for sports fans everywhere," DAZN Chief Executive Officer Shay Segev said in a statement.
"We’re delighted to have the exclusive rights to this new chapter in global club football."
Reports in the U.S. and Europe said the deal was worth $1 billion and that it was only for this edition of the revamped tournament.
The event has had a long search for a broadcast partner since launching the media rights tender process in July. The draw is scheduled to take place in Miami on Thursday.
The tournament, featuring some of the world's top club sides, is expected to heighten anticipation for the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico after a lacklustre Copa America tournament in the U.S. this year.
But after a season featuring an expanded UEFA Champions League - before the enlarged 48-team World Cup in 2026 - top players have criticised the ever-increasing fixture schedule and some have threatened strike action.
FIFA, who were negotiating with Apple for broadcast rights before talks collapsed earlier this year, will take advantage of DAZN's global reach through the deal, said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
"Through this agreement, billions of football fans worldwide can now watch the most widely accessible club football tournament ever," he said in a statement.
Apart from the winners of each confederation's premier club competitions taking part, teams also qualified based on their ranking that was calculated by their performances over a four-year period.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Christian Radnedge)
