Telekom secures World Cup rights 2026: All games live on Magenta TV!

Telekom secures World Cup rights 2026: All games live on Magenta TV!

Berlin, Deutschland - Telekom acquired media rights for the 2026 World Cup. This announcement met the company on Friday as part of an event in Berlin, such as lvz.de . Magenta TV will provide comprehensive reporting on the World Cup, which takes place in Canada, Mexico and the USA. This includes all 104 games that are played as part of the tournament.

In addition to the rights at the 2026 World Cup, Telekom also secured the transfer rights for the Women's World Cup 2027 and for the U20 World Championships 2025 and 2027. A total of 272 games for the German TV market are shown, with the exact costs for the rights not announced. However, industry insiders suspect that Telekom has paid around 200 million euros to FIFA.

Details on the offer

Wolfgang Metze, Managing Director of Telekom, privately expressed his joy about the deal. Arnim Butzen, the company's TV leader, emphasized that Telekom is the only provider in Germany to show the entire 2026 World Cup. In order to be able to see all games, a subscription to Magenta TV is required, which can be purchased either in a package or individually. The specific transmission plans are currently still unclear, but it is expected that well-known moderators and commentators such as Johannes B. Kerner and Wolff-Christoph Fuss will be part of the team.

With a view to the legal framework, it is uncertain whether the 2026 World Cup is also transferred to the public service broadcaster ARD and ZDF. However, according to the Broadcasting Treaty, this is likely that games with German participation as well as the opening game, semi-finals and finals must be sent to free TV if the transfer rights are with a PAY TV provider. Telekom could also award sublicenes to these transmitters to refinance costs.

expectations for the future

like Deutschlandfunk reports that Telekom spends sublicens with large football tournaments. At the upcoming EM 2024, ARD and ZDF have secured 34 games together, 17 each for each transmitter. Other media providers such as ProSiebenSat.1, based on past experiences, could also acquire further sublicen in the future.

The 2026 World Cup is an important obligation for Telekom, as the main provider, and an opportunity to increase its reach and influence on German sports television. The anticipation for the event is great and the preparations seem to be in full.