beIN Sports beats Ligue 1+ to 2026 World Cup rights, 2030 possible | OneFootball

beIN Sports has outmanoeuvred Ligue 1+, striking an agreement for the 2026 World Cup and possibly 2030. The move comes despite Ligue 1+ having already reached terms with FIFA and signed a contract.

According to L'Équipe, the LFP-owned channel had secured pay-TV rights to all 104 matches for close to €20 million, comprising €17 million in rights fees and €2.5 million in production costs.

Normally, once a signed contract is returned by a broadcaster to a rightsholder, completion is a formality. beIN Sports’ late intervention has jolted the sports rights market.

Yousef al-Obaidly, president of beIN Sports France and in charge of the file, along with his superior Nasser al-Khelaïfi, CEO of beIN Media Group, took a dim view of being overtaken by Ligue 1+.

An emergency LFP board meeting has been called for 15:30 on Wednesday to decide how to proceed.

Source: L'Équipe