LAUSANNE – Fifa announced on Wednesday that it had struck a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to televise the 2023 Women’s World Cup, avoiding a controversial blackout in the “Big Five” European nations.
The deal follows a standoff between the football’s world governing body and broadcasters in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom over the rights for the competition in Australia and New Zealand in July and August.
“Fifa is delighted to widen the deal with the European Broadcasting Union for the transmission of the upcoming Fifa Women’s World Cup to include the five major markets within their existing networks, namely France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as Ukraine, thus ensuring maximum exposure for the tournament,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino.
No financial details of the deal were revealed.
Infantino had been critical of broadcasters in the Big Five European countries for offering substantially less than the amount paid to show the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar – reportedly between US$1 million (S$1.33 million) and US$10 million compared to US$100 million-US$200 million for the men’s.
One stumbling block in Europe was the time difference, which means that games will often be played in what is the early morning on the continent, but Infantino said that was no excuse.
Last October, Fifa and EBU struck a deal for 28 countries.
Wednesday’s expanded 34-nation list, however, still omitted the names of several European nations competing at the World Cup – Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal.
The deal with the EBU involved networks that broadcast free-to-air rather than subscription channels.
Fifa listed ARD and ZDF in Germany, BBC and ITV in the UK, France Televisions, RAI in Italy and RTVE in Spain. French channel M6, which is not part of the EBU, was also announced as a broadcaster.
“The Fifa Women’s World Cup is one of sport’s most exciting and fastest-growing events and we are committed to working hand-in-hand with Fifa to ensure the women’s game is enjoyed by as many people as possible across the continent,” said EBU director-general Noel Curran.
The Women’s World Cup will be staged in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to Aug 20 and will be the first to feature 32 teams.
It will also see overall prize money for participating teams increased to US$150 million, up sharply from US$50 million in 2019 and a huge rise on the US$15 million in 2015.
But the figure still pales in comparison to the US$440 million prize money at the 32-team 2022 men’s World Cup. AFP
