The national public broadcaster in Austria, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) has announced the retention of exclusive media rights to FIFA World Cup 2026.
Through this retention, the broadcaster will continue to show all 106 encounters of the premier multinational tournament in Austria in 2026.
FIFA and ORF have been in an association since the year 2000. The Austrian media group finalised late sub-licensing agreements with both ServusTV and Red Bull Media for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Roland Weißmann, ORF’s Director-General, commented, “It is particularly important for ORF to make mass-appealing sporting events accessible to as many people in Austria as possible. In the particularly competitive sports rights market, it is a strong and positive sign for a public broadcaster to have the World Cup in its programming.”
Founded in 1955, and currently having its headquarters in Vienna, Österreichischer Rundfunk, also known as ORF is the leading broadcaster in Austria, supported by a combination of limited on-air advertising and revenue from television licence fees.
After having a stupendous edition in Qatar last year, the next FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico. For the first time, there will be 48 teams in the 2026 World Cup, up from 32 in the previous competition last year.