BTV set to broadcast 2026 World Cup in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Television (BTV) is likely to broadcast the FIFA World Cup 2026 live after ongoing discussions between the Bangladesh government and FIFA reached their final stage, easing uncertainty over the tournament's availability for millions of football fans in the country.

Sources at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and BTV confirmed on Wednesday that negotiations are progressing positively. If the deal is finalized, the state-owned broadcaster will air matches live across Bangladesh.

Although officials involved in the talks declined to speak publicly, Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan indicated that discussions were moving in a satisfactory direction.

“We are making progress with all parties concerned to ensure people can watch the matches without spending public money,” the minister told local media.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled to kick off on June 11. Earlier, Singapore-based Springbok Pte Ltd had acquired the broadcasting rights for Bangladesh and was expected to sell sublicenses to local broadcasters.

According to sources, the company demanded nearly Tk 151 crore from BTV for the rights, a figure that would have approached Tk 200 crore after taxes. The deal, however, did not materialize.

Unable to secure buyers, Springbok reportedly relinquished its rights, prompting the Bangladesh government to open direct negotiations with FIFA. Senior officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), and BTV have been involved in several rounds of discussions aimed at obtaining broadcasting rights, reportedly without financial cost.

Officials familiar with the negotiations expressed optimism that viewers across the country would be able to watch the tournament. If an agreement is reached, BTV will hold the broadcast rights, while private broadcasters wishing to air the matches would need to obtain sublicenses from the state broadcaster.

Sources said the talks could be finalized within the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, OTT platform Tofee has already secured digital streaming rights for the tournament in partnership with Banglalink. The company said football fans, including Banglalink users, will be able to watch World Cup matches through the streaming platform.

Bangladesh is not alone in facing broadcasting-rights challenges. Football fans in India and China also faced uncertainty over access to the tournament. FIFA recently signed broadcasting agreements with China Media Group for the 2026 and 2030 men's World Cups and the 2027 and 2031 women's World Cups, while India's rights were awarded to Zee Entertainment Enterprises.

BTV has previously aired World Cup matches under different arrangements. In 2018, it broadcast the tournament free of cost under a package-sharing policy. However, that policy was later abolished. Ahead of the 2022 World Cup, the government allocated special funding, allowing BTV to purchase broadcasting rights for approximately Tk 98 crore.