Netflix is splashing out USD200 million for the 2027 Women’s World Cup

In December 2024, Fifa announced that they signed a deal with streaming giant Netflix for the broadcasting rights to the 2027 and 2031 editions of the Women’s World Cup. The fee paid by Netflix had at the time been undisclosed, but it’s now been revealed that, for the upcoming tournament at least, it will cost them USD200 million (~RM817.68 million).

That figure was leaked out in a report by Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the deal, while there’s no details on how much it cost Netflix to add on the 2031 tournament in their contract with Fifa.

Nevertheless, that USD200 million fee for broadcasting rights is now of the highest ever for women’s sports, let along women’s football. As a comparison, the 2023 Women’s World Cup received approximately USD270 million in total broadcasting rights across all markets, not just from one broadcaster. The WNBA meanwhile, which is one of the most watched women’s basketball leagues, earns roughly USD280 million per year in broadcasting deals.

The rise in costs to secure broadcasting rights to the Women’s World Cup comes at a time when the women’s game continues to rise both in popularity and quality; the 2023 edition had at 932.85 million viewers who watched at least a minute of the tournament.

Of course, the rise in broadcasting rights fees also comes after Fifa President Gianni Infantino previously threatened TV blackouts in European markets for the 2023 tournament after broadcasters originally refused to pay more, before reaching a deal just weeks before kick off. The reported USD200 million figure also pales in comparison to the USD485 million Fox paid for the US broadcast rights to the 2026 Men’s World Cup.

Nevertheless, with just Netflix alone willing to fork out USD200 million for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, Fifa will likely be breaking financial records for the women’s game this time next year, with multiple more broadcasters in various regions around the world also signing broadcast rights deals with Fifa; Europe alone has already seen 19 broadcasters confirmed so far.

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