FIFA Announces a Live Streaming Deal for 2026 World Cup

The world football governing body FIFA has announced a partnership which will see World Cup matches streamed live on betting websites for the first time. 

The organisation has announced a partnership with Stats Perform, the data firm behind Opta, which has become the first official betting data and betting streaming rights distributor ahead of this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

The deal will see all 104 matches at the tournament be made available for streaming on licensed bookmakers’ websites for the first time, unlocking a new revenue stream which is set to remain in place for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil, too.

It’s a key moment for the iGaming industry, with sports betting websites being put at the forefront of the biggest sporting event on the planet. 

Romy Gai, FIFA Chief Business Officer, said: “We are delighted to partner with Stats Perform, a global leader in sports data. This innovative partnership will create great opportunities to deliver official products for the benefit of the game and its fans.”

Carl Mergele, Chief Executive Officer at Stats Perform, added: “FIFA competitions represent the pinnacle of the world’s biggest game. Our clients will be delighted that we’re able to add FIFA competitions to our Opta and RunningBall official betting data portfolio, and our innovative, AI-enriched Bet LiveStreams service. We share FIFA’s vision to help the magic of the beautiful game be felt more deeply, by more fans, worldwide.”

The news will come as a major boost to betting companies in the UK and Ireland, as millions of viewers in the UK and Ireland watched the 2022 final in Qatar alone. 

England and Scotland have already secured their qualification for next summer’s tournament, and Irish sports betting websites will eagerly be keeping an eye on Ireland’s progress in the European play-offs for the tournament in March. 

The Boys in Green face a semi-final away against Czechia on Thursday, 26th March 2026 and should they win that, they will play a one-legged final in Dublin against either Denmark or North Macedonia for a place in the finals on Tuesday, 31st March 2026.