Apple was rumored to have held talks with FIFA to stream the upcoming 2025 Club World Cup on the Apple TV+ service, but negotiations seem to have recently stagnated, reports Bloomberg.
The talks, which were as active as earlier this year, seem to have stumbled recently as Apple is unwilling to match FIFA’s financial terms. Apple’s maximum offer to acquire streaming rights for the Club World Cup reportedly stands at $1 billion, which is allegedly just a quarter of what FIFA originally hoped for as first reported by the New York Times in April.
As a result of Apple pulling back from talks, FIFA is now considering selling the tournament’s streaming rights for regional broadcasters in individual deals rather than a lump sum offer for one major media partner. FIFA has also been in talks with the tournament’s participating clubs to offer them lower financial incentives for playing in the competition, albeit with a lukewarm response.
Discover new horizons, always connected with eSIM
Travel the world stress and hassle-free with the best eSIM service available. Enjoy unlimited data, 5G speeds, and global coverage for affordable prices with Holafly. And, enjoy an exclusive 5% discount.
In response to Bloomberg‘s report, a FIFA spokesperson has confirmed that the organization is talking to several media partners without explicitly referring to Apple. Offering individual streaming deals for smaller broadcasters could help FIFA maximize its payout from any potential deals, while Apple would lose out on expanding its live sports streaming offerings.
The 2025 Club World Cup 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.
