Netflix has acquired all rights in Spain and Andorra to the 2030 soccer World Cup from FIFA, marking a major push into live sports broadcasting in Europe. The deal was unveiled Tuesday and gives Netflix exclusive rights in those territories to all 104 matches of the tournament.
The streamer plans full live coverage of every match, along with pre-game, halftime and post-game shows, plus a daily round-up show on match days. Netflix also said it is planning extensive pre-tournament programming to build excitement ahead of the event.
Not everything will sit behind Netflix's paywall. As part of the agreement, Netflix will make one match per day available for free in Spain and will sublicense a package of matches to a national free-to-air broadcaster, including every Spain match, both semi-finals and the final.
Spain, the reigning World Cup champion, is set to host the 2030 tournament alongside Morocco and Portugal. The 2030 edition marks the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, with celebration matches also scheduled in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
This is not Netflix's first major soccer deal. The streamer already holds broadcast rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cups, and earlier this year it announced a four-year agreement with the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football to stream, from 2027, the Concacaf Nations League finals and the Concacaf Gold Cup tournaments in Mexico.
Acquiring World Cup rights in Spain, one of the world's most soccer-mad nations, represents a significant step up for Netflix and signals the company's broader ambitions in live sports internationally. In the United States, Netflix already carries NFL and MLB games as well as select boxing, MMA and WWE events.
