beIN Sports wins 2026 and 2030 World Cup rights as de Tavernost signals exit | OneFootball

French football has been plunged back into crisis as beIN Sports beat Ligue1+ to World Cup rights and LFP Media boss Nicolas de Tavernost signalled he wants to quit. According to L'Équipe, the scramble for the 2026 tournament has reignited deep tensions.

Earlier on Wednesday, it emerged beIN had gazumped Ligue1+ for 2026, even though the LFP platform had agreed a deal with FIFA to show all 104 matches for nearly €20 million, including €17 million in rights and €2.5 million in production costs.

That package was designed to fill a three month summer break and attract 200,000 new subscribers without losing its 1.2 million existing users, benefiting clubs reliant on the platform.

beIN, whose parent beIN Media Group is chaired by PSG president Nasser al-Khelaïfi, has ultimately secured the 2026 and 2030 tournaments for about €60 million, around €27 million this summer and €34 million in four years.

De Tavernost told an emergency LFP board he could not continue effectively at LFP Media. He wants to step down and would stay only until a successor is appointed, unless a unanimous push persuaded him to remain.

Exchanges were tense with PSG chief executive Victoriano Melero, who also leads Foot Unis. beIN Sports says it acted normally and that nothing was definitive between FIFA and Ligue1+.

Al-Khelaïfi, in Brussels for UEFA’s executive committee and as EFC president, did not comment. Another LFP board meeting is set for Thursday afternoon to consider possible appeals against FIFA.

Appointed on 23 April 2025, the 75-year-old de Tavernost navigated DAZN’s exit, then built the LFP streaming platform after failures with Mediapro, Amazon and DAZN, while facing and losing beIN litigation over the Saturday afternoon slot.

Source: L'Équipe