Football World Cup 2026: ARD and ZDF show more than half of the games

The most important games of the World Cup run at ARD and ZDF. According to information from the German Press Agency, the public service broadcasters have concluded a complex sublicense contract with Deutsche Telekom. The company had secured the TV rights for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico from the World Association FIFA three months ago.

The first and the second now acquired 60 World Cup games-in a exchange with EM rights. Telekom will show all 104 games of the tournament in North America on its paid online station MagentaTV. 44 of them are exclusive. The broadcasters and the telecommunications company initially did not want to comment on the deal.

The World Cup games of the German national team also include the acquired package of ARD and ZDF – if they qualify for the tournament in the coming year. The DFB selection had started to qualify with a defeat against Slovakia.

Background of the exchange business: Telekom had landed a coup in June and was awarded FIFA for a comprehensive right of rights package with a total of four tournaments, including the 2027 women’s World Cup in addition to the 2026 men’s World Cup.

It was already clear that some games of the 2026 World Cup runs 2026 on free TV – but not how many and which channels. Telekom had signed a clause in the agreement with the World Association. “A large number of games to a freely recepted television station with a nationwide range must be sublicent”, as FIFA had explained without further details.

So far, it was only certain that the games of the German national team are broadcast in the event of a qualification at World Championships in the “freely received and generally accessible television program”. This is how the Media Treaty stipulates it. The games that are classified as events “of considerable social importance” also include the opening game, the two semi -finals and the final. These encounters will now show ARD and ZDF in the coming year.

The German team is not yet qualified. The DFB-Elf started the elimination round for the 2026 World Cup with a disappointing 0-2 defeat in Slovakia. Through the following 3: 1 against Northern Ireland, the DFB team goes to Slovakia in the next double matchday with a deficit of three points.

In Sinsheim, Germany meets on Friday (8:45 p.m./ARD) on Group Light Luxembourg. The game in Belfast against Northern Ireland will follow on Monday (8:45 p.m./RTL).