Claim: Doordarshan to live telecast FIFA World Cup matches in India after no private broadcaster submitted bids for rights.
Conclusion: The claim is false. There are no reports, statements or evidence to prove that Doordarshan will telecast the FIFA World Cup. FIFA and Zee finalized a broadcast deal on June 2, 2026, making Zee the official FIFA World Cup broadcaster in India for the 2026 and 2030 season.
Rating: False 
Several social media users have claimed that Doordarshan will telecast the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India. X user ‘abdulrahmanmash’ shared such a post with the caption : “Doordarshan set to telecast FIFA World Cup in India!!!” Attached to the post is an image stating “BREAKING: DOORDARSHAN IS BACK: DOORDARSHAN TO LIVE TELECAST FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 IN INDIA AFTER NO BIDS.” The post gained more than 101,000 views and can be seen below –
Doordarshan set to telecast FIFA World Cup in India!!!#FIFA #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/c2EMbpFpH2
— Abdul Rahman Mashood (@abdulrahmanmash) May 5, 2026
More recent claims have been made here and here
FACT CHECK
DigitEYE India decided to investigate this claim and found it to be false. No credible reports or official announcements indicate that Doordarshan has obtained the broadcasting rights for the FIFA World Cup. Instead, FIFA confirmed an agreement with Zee Entertainment on June 2, 2026, making it the official broadcaster for the 2026 and 2030 season.
Details:
We first conducted a web search with the phrase “Doordarshan to telecast Fifa World Cup 2026” to learn more. However, there are no verified reports from credible news outlets to suggest such a confirmation. Moreover, Doordarshan’s official website has no such announcement, press release or confirmation of any kind.
According to a Reuters report published on May 4, 2026, FIFA reportedly rejected a $20 million bid from the Reliance-Disney joint venture, as the organization was expecting a much higher valuation closer to previous World Cup deals. The report mentions how football remains “a niche segment in India” compared to cricket, while late-night match timings due to the tournament being hosted in the U.S., Canada and Mexico may further reduce viewership expectations.
Broadcasters such as Sony also chose not to purchase the rights because it “did not make economic sense” for the group. The report also writes how Rohit Potphode, managing partner for sports at advertising agency Dentsu India, described the situation as “the end of a chess game with a couple of moves left,” View a section from the report below –
Following this, we came across an India Today report published on May 5, 2026 that wrote how a broadcaster for FIFA World Cup 2026 in India has not been finalized. The report states that Prasar Bharati and Doordarshan are only a “safety net option” and “could step in, especially for marquee games like semi-finals and final, under mandatory sharing rules.” However, the article clearly says “there’s no confirmed broadcaster yet,” meaning Doordarshan has not officially secured the rights as of now. View a section from the report below –
A recent FTN news report also writes how “fans in China and India currently will not have chance to watch the World Cup matches which is just five weeks away,” since the deal has not been signed. The report also notes that “FIFA already has broadcast agreements with 175 countries locked in ahead of the World Cup.” However, there is no confirmed news about India and nothing regarding Doordarshan securing the broadcast rights.
According to an Al Jazeera report published on June 2, 2026, FIFA has signed a broadcast agreement with Zee Entertainment, giving the rights to air the 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cups, ending a months-long standoff over unsold rights. The report also notes that Zee will broadcast “the 2027 Women’s World Cup among 39 FIFA tournaments until 2034.”
Hence, the claim Doordarshan going to telecast the FIFA World Cup 2026 in India is false. Zee Entertainment is the official broadcaster of FIFA 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cups.
Thus, the claim is false.
