Dazn has secured an exclusive option on global streaming rights for the 2029 men's Club World Cup, the Guardian reported on Monday. The deal brings the streaming company even closer to Fifa. Neither the value of the deal nor the deadline for using the option is known.
The Saudi Arabia-backed company stepped in before the first 32-team Club World Cup, held in the United States in 2025. It agreed to pay $1bn for the global rights after many traditional broadcasters and other streamers declined to bid. According to the Guardian, Apple TV held talks with Fifa about a global deal. It pulled out over a disagreement on price. Fifa then tried to sell the rights region by region, but that plan also failed.
Dazn's late bid came after Saudi Arabia's Surj Sports Investment group bought a 10% stake in the company. That money effectively paid for Fifa's $1bn prize fund. Chelsea won the tournament and took home about $114m.
Dazn has more than 300 million registered users but still loses money. Its 2025 accounts show operating losses rose from $772.9m to $939.8m over 12 months. Even so, the company appears willing to keep spending heavily on sports rights.
The option gives Fifa some breathing space. Planning for 2029 has been difficult, the Guardian reported. Fifa has made no decisions on venues, format or size. This is despite long-running talks with the clubs about expanding the tournament to 48 teams.
The Club World Cup has also suffered from the fallout of a withdrawn World Cup sell-off plan by Fifa president Gianni Infantino. The plan led the lobby group European Football Clubs (EFC) to threaten to pull its support. In a letter obtained by the Guardian, EFC voiced "serious concern and disappointment" over delays in paying clubs $250m in solidarity money from 2025. Relations have reportedly improved since the plan was dropped. However, the two sides have not agreed the details of a joint venture to run the tournament's commercial operations. That may wait until after Fifa's presidential election in March.
Morocco, a co-host of the 2030 men's World Cup, will be favourite to host in 2029 if Infantino is re-elected, the Guardian reported. Its case grew stronger after Fifa gave the first women's Club World Cup to the United States, which had also been in the running for 2029. A joint Morocco-Spain tournament is another option. Portugal reportedly has reservations about hosting.