How Netflix's Women's World Cup deal is groundbreaking

Netflix’s deal to acquire the U.S. media rights to the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup is a groundbreaking deal for the sport of soccer in the United States.  

For women’s soccer, it secures top billing on a streaming service with 66 million subscribers in the United States. In doing so, it’ll help increase subscriptions by sports fans to Netflix. For example, the recent Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson fight attracted 1.43 million new subscribers to Netflix (while 60 million people watched the fight live worldwide). No doubt, the streaming service will be hoping for even better results for the next two Women’s World Cups.

With the United States women’s team winning the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, it’s the perfect segue going into the next Women’s World Cup competition in 2027, when it’s hosted in Brazil. For 2031, the hopes are that the Women’s World Cup will be played in the United States.

As of press time, the financial details of the Netflix/FIFA deal have not been disclosed. Even without them, this deal is groundbreaking for several reasons.

Netflix’s Women’s World Cup with FIFA is a groundbreaker

Broadcasts of the FIFA Women’s World Cup have come a long way in a relatively short time.

The first official Women’s World Cup in 1991 was only shown on tape delay via a conglomeration of regional sports cable channels called SportsChannel America. Coverage improved marginally in 1995 when games were shown on ESPN. Well, sort of. ESPN only televised the games featuring the US Women’s National Team. To make matters worse, ABC declined to broadcast the final after the U.S. got knocked out in the semi-final.

Over time, broadcasts improved dramatically. From the iconic coverage of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, when all 32 games were televised, through to the 2011 edition of the competition, ESPN had the exclusive English-language rights to the competition.

Coverage of the competition returned to over-the-air broadcast television from 2015 through 2023 with the FOX network airing many of the games.

From regional sports television to broadcasters only showing select games to network television, the next phase will see the games exclusively shown on a streaming service.

“I’ve seen the fandom for the FIFA Women’s World Cup grow tremendously – from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019 to, most recently, the incredible energy we saw across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand last year,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria. “Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix isn’t just about streaming matches, it’s also about celebrating the players, the culture, and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sport.”

Other soccer rights up for grabs

There were rumors that a non-traditional media company was trying to get the rights, and many insiders presumed it was DAZN. So, when FIFA broke the news, it was a surprise to everyone. At the same time, it’s a big blow for FOX Sports and Telemundo Deportes, who were both interested in renewing the rights to the competition.

FOX and Telemundo’s loss is Netflix’s gain. But the bigger story here could be that Netflix has now opened the door to other potential soccer media rights deals. Netflix already has NFL games, as well as boxing. So, what else is on the table for Netflix to discuss as possible acquisitions?

Netflix’s acquisition of the exclusive media rights to the Women’s World Cup could be the first in a string of acquisitions of major soccer properties. Other rights that will be available to Netflix in the near to distant future include:

– FIFA World Cup 2030 and 2034 tournaments
– English Premier League: Seasons 2028/29 through 2034/35
– UEFA Champions League: Seasons 2030/31 through 2035/36
– Serie A: Seasons 2026/27 through 2028/29

Soccer’s next chapter on Netflix

Soccer coverage in the United States needs a breath of fresh air, and Netflix could be the one to deliver it.

Questions remain about the streaming service’s live streaming technology and whether it’ll be able to withstand the surge of traffic streaming specific games. But assuming that the technical gremlins can be resolved, what will the coverage itself look like? Given that the first live broadcast will happen one year after the men’s World Cup in 2026, interest will be heightened.

A lot can happen between now and then, but one thing is certain. All eyes will be on Netflix in 2027.

Photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto