Zee Entertainment to air FIFA World Cups till 2034; shares surge 7%

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd

. shares jumped nearly 7% on Monday after the company announced a long-term partnership with FIFA that will bring some of world football’s biggest tournaments to Indian audiences over the next eight years.

Under the agreement, Zee will broadcast 39 FIFA events between 2026 and 2034, including the FIFA World Cup 2026, FIFA World Cup 2030 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027. The company said the partnership also covers a range of youth, futsal and intercontinental competitions, along with documentary content linked to the tournaments.

The move marks a significant expansion of Zee’s sports portfolio as the broadcaster seeks to strengthen its presence in premium live sports programming. The company will showcase FIFA events across its television network and streaming platform Zee5, while also launching four dedicated sports channels — Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD.

The first major event under the partnership will be the FIFA World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin on June 11 next year.

Chief Executive Officer Punit Goenka said football offers long-term growth potential and fits into the company’s strategy of investing in scalable sports properties with strong audience appeal.

The FIFA deal also gives Zee access to tournaments such as the FIFA U-17 World Cup, FIFA U-20 World Cup, FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup and FIFA Intercontinental Cup, among others, through 2034.

For FIFA, the partnership offers access to one of the world’s largest media markets. FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai described India as a strategically important market with a young and growing football audience.

Following the announcement, shares of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited climbed to an intraday high of ₹99.80, up around 7% on the NSE.