Broadcasting Deal Between FIFA and DAZN for the FIFA Club World Cup

mollymcg
Apr 15
3 min read

As many will have seen, from 14 June to 13 July 2025, the FIFA Club World Cup will be broadcast globally for the very first time.

This landmark tournament will feature 32 of the most successful clubs from each of the six international confederations: AFC, CAF, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA, all competing for global glory. Set to take place across 12 iconic stadiums in the United States.[1] The winner will take home a newly designed trophy, produced by FIFA in collaboration with Tiffany & Co (very cool!).[2]

Match Officials

FIFA has appointed 117 match officials for the tournament, comprising 35 referees, 58 assistant referees, and 24 video match officials from 41 different member associations. It goes without saying that being selected to officiate a tournament of this calibre is an honour and recognition of individual excellence.[3]

Of particular interest, especially to those of us with a background in officiating, is FIFA’s decision, following support from IFAB, to trial body cameras on referees during all matches. The aim is to identity methods to enhance safety and overall match quality.

As someone who has officiated, I view this as a promising development. Not only could it improve the behaviour on the pitch, but as Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, aptly put it, “it also has a purpose in terms of referee coaching, because of course, having the possibility to see what the referee sees is important in the debriefing.”[4] More importantly, and as I’ll come on to shortly, the body worn footage offers fans a unique, immersive insight into the matchday experience.

Commercial Agreements

The tournament has already attracted a range of commercial partnerships. Adidas has been announced as the official supplier of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025,[5] and has provided the tournament match ball. Tiffany & Co.’s collaboration on the trophy design is a headline in itself.

But the standout deal for me is FIFA’s exclusive global partnership with DAZN. Under the agreement, all 63 matches will be streamed for free worldwide via the DAZN platform. Importantly, the deal also includes the possibility of sublicensing to local free-to-air broadcasters. In the UK, while the BBC and ITV have opted not to bid for these rights, potential sublicensing partners reportedly include Channel 4 and Channel 5.[6]

This is a major step for accessibility. It removes the financial barriers typical of club football broadcasts and reinforces FIFA’s stated ambition to make the game truly global. In the words of President Gianna Infantino, this is to be “an inclusive tournament that will be the pinnacle of global club football.”[7]

Legal Perspective

Deals like this go far beyond basic broadcast rights. They involve complex negotiations around intellectual property, exclusivity, data protection (especially with referee body cams), and commercial licensing.

Even relatively small-scale agreements in sport require in-depth consideration into competition law, local broadcasting regulations, image rights, and increasingly ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) considerations. Lawyers are instrumental not just in drafting these deals but anticipating the risks that come with new technologies and formats.

This deal is a reminder that commercial arrangements in sport are high-stake and multi-faceted agreements. For legal advisors, the challenge is to keep up with the evolving landscape.