Delhi High Court Seeks Centre, Prasar Bharati Response on Plea for Free Broadcast of FIFA World Cup 2026

May 12, 2026 : The Delhi High Court has issued notice on a writ petition seeking directions to the Union Government and Prasar Bharati to ensure that the FIFA World Cup 2026 is broadcast in India, particularly through free-to-air public channels such as Doordarshan and DD Sports.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav listed the matter for hearing next week, observing that the reliefs sought in the petition carry the character of a Public Interest Litigation.

Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar submitted that although authorities were already making efforts regarding the telecast, a judicial “nudge” would help expedite the process.

The petition contended that the FIFA World Cup 2026 has already been notified as a “sporting event of national importance” under the Sports Broadcasting Signals (Mandatory Sharing with Prasar Bharati) Act, 2007, read with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting notification dated May 9, 2022. Under the statutory framework, major matches including the opening game, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are required to be made available free-to-air through Prasar Bharati platforms.

Filed under Article 226 of the Constitution by Advocate Avdhesh Bairwa, the plea stated that despite the tournament being scheduled from June 11 to July 19, 2026, no broadcaster in India has secured telecast rights so far.

According to the petition, FIFA had initially valued the India broadcasting rights package at nearly USD 100 million, but later reduced it to around USD 35 million after failing to attract sufficient commercial interest. However, no agreement has yet been finalised, raising apprehensions that millions of Indian viewers may be deprived of access to the tournament.

Senior Advocate Gaggar argued that access to sporting events of national importance forms part of the constitutional right to receive information guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

Reliance was placed on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting vs Cricket Association of Bengal to argue that airwaves are public property and must be used in public interest. The plea also cited Section 12 of the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990, contending that the public broadcaster is under a statutory obligation to ensure fair and adequate coverage of sports and other nationally significant events.

The petition further highlighted India’s growing football audience by referring to FIFA engagement figures from the 2022 World Cup, asserting that denial of access to the 2026 edition would adversely affect the promotion of football and sports culture in the country.