Apple is reportedly close to finalizing an agreement with FIFA to gain worldwide streaming rights for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 set to be held next summer in the United States, reports The New York Times.
The Apple-FIFA deal, estimated to be worth around $1 billion, would be a first for the football’s international governing body. The deal will give Apple worldwide streaming rights for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and could be announced as soon as later this month. It remains unclear whether the deal would include a free-to-air clause, the absence of which would make the tournament exclusively available to Apple TV+ subscribers.
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be the first edition of the revitalized competition, featuring a new format for the first time with 32 teams from six confederations. The competition’s new format was meant to be held in 2021 in China but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. The competition will run in 2025 between June 15 and July 23 across various stadiums throughout the US.
The reported figure that Apple will pay to FIFA falls shy of what it paid for the MLS Season Pass, estimated at $2.5 billion over 10 years. The MLS Season Pass is offered at two tiers with one being priced at a discount for existing Apple TV+ subscribers. Apple will likely pursue a similar arrangement with FIFA to attract as many viewers as possible whether they are Apple TV+ subscribers or not.
Beyond football, Apple is also rumored to be eyeing a similar streaming deal with the NBA as its existing deals with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery approach their ends. Apple is seeking to expand its live sports offerings as a new avenue of growth for its Services sector, with the company already offering streaming packages for other sports with the MLS Season Pass and the MLB’s Friday Night Baseball.
