The Fifa World Cup trophy during the closing ceremony of the before the final match of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
As of Sunday, no Kenyan free-to-air television station had secured the rights to broadcast live the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the country.
The world football showpiece will be held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
According to Fifa’s latest list of media partners for the 2026 World Cup, pay television stations Azam TV, New World TV, and SuperSport International are the only broadcasters, which have acquired the rights to air the tournament in Kenya.
Traditionally, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) has shown live World Cup matches on free-to-air television, allowing millions of football fans across the country to follow the tournament without subscribing to pay television services.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi lifts the Fifa World Cup trophy following their victory over France in the final of the 2022 Fifa World Cup at Lusail Stadium in Doha on December 18, 2022.
However, 10 days to the tournament, the national broadcaster has yet to acquire the rights to beam this edition’s showpiece due to lack of funds.
A senior official of the station, who did not want to be named, told Nation Sport that a decision on whether KBC will air the tournament or not will be known this week.
With broadcasting the World Cup considered a public service obligation, the official explained that the Ministry of Sports, through the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund, has previously supported the station by providing the funds needed to acquire the broadcasting rights.
The official said that this has not happened this time round and a request has since been made to the Treasury to provide the funds.
“As of now we don’t have the rights to broadcast the World Cup. We are hoping that by mid-next week (this week), we will have clarity on the matter,” the official said.
On March 24, the National Assembly’s Committee on Communications, Information and Innovation (COIC) warned that Kenyans risked missing out on watching watch the tournament on.
“The committee observed that KBC requires Sh150 million to acquire Free-to-Air broadcast rights for the Federation International Football Association World Cup 2026 to be held in USA, Canada and Mexico from June 11-19 July 2026,” COIC chairman John Kiarie told Budget and Appropriations Committee then.
Fifa regulations require host broadcasters and national rights holders to air a selected number of World Cup matches on free-to-air television. The number varies from country to country depending on local broadcasting rules.
The Fifa World Cup trophy during the closing ceremony of the before the final match of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
Just like in other World Cups, KBC secured the exclusive free-to-air broadcast rights in Kenya for the 2022 Qatar tournament.
Should KBC fail to secure the rights to broadcast the tournament, Kenyan fans hoping to follow this year’s competition online may have to rely on official Fifa streaming platforms or other digital viewing options, in addition to the available pay-TV channels.
According to British tabloid newspaper The Sun, Fifa confirmed in March a major change to its broadcast strategy for the 2026 World Cup that will allow fans to watch selected content for free on YouTube for the first time.
The arrangement will permit official broadcasters to stream portions of matches live on YouTube, potentially expanding the tournament’s reach to millions of additional viewers worldwide.
For the first time in the competition’s history, fans will be able to watch the opening 10 minutes of every World Cup match live on the platform.
Broadcasters will also be allowed to air a select number of full matches on their YouTube channels.
The move is aimed at giving fans a free preview of the action before directing viewers to traditional television coverage for the remainder of the matches.
Fifa is targeting younger audiences who increasingly consume football through digital platforms.
The world governing body believes that the collaboration will help attract a new generation of supporters.
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