By Frank Pingue
Oct 22 (Reuters) - FIFA opened the bidding process for US media rights to the 2030 World Cup on Thursday along with an option to secure the 2034 edition, adding that it has yet to decide whether to keep the controversial hydration breaks introduced this year that opened up additional advertising windows for broadcasters.
FIFA said in a press release that it was open to "innovative approaches" to reach large audiences and that the bid submission deadline is November 19.
Fox held the exclusive
English-language FIFA broadcast rights in the United States for the last three World Cups, including the 2026 edition that was co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, while Telemundo held the Spanish language rights during that same time.
Spain, which won the 2026 World Cup, will co-host the 2030 edition with Portugal and Morocco, although Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will also stage matches to mark the tournament's 100th anniversary. Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup.
FIFA Chief Business Officer Romy Gai, speaking to reporters after the announcement, said world soccer's governing body is still evaluating whether to keep the hydration breaks that were put in place for the 2026 World Cup to help players cope with high temperatures but also proved lucrative for broadcasters.
The hydration breaks fuelled debate over their impact on the game, with some viewers complaining about being exposed to commercials during the three-minute stoppages in each half.
"If the average temperature will be higher than the normal average is in these countries we expect to confirm having the hydration break, but not automatically," said Gai.
"It's not the final decision because this is something that we need to further engage with all the stakeholders."
According to FIFA, the 2026 World Cup averaged 13.5 million viewers per match on linear and streaming platforms in the United States, up 166% on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Earlier this week, Netflix announced that it secured the rights to broadcast the 2030 World Cup in Spain and Andorra.
The Saudi climate will likely force FIFA to hold the 2034 tournament in the Northern Hemisphere winter, just like it did for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but Gai said that while it is a possibility the matter has not yet been discussed officially.
"It's too early for that. But this is something that we are concretely considering," Gai said when asked about staging the 2034 World Cup in November-December of that year instead of the tournament's traditional June-July slot.
"It will be further assessed and we will share the same comments with any bidders when it will be the time to sit down and analyze how it can be to play the World Cup in 2034. It is a clear possibility ... but it's not yet confirmed. So we need to understand more."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
