Last year, American technology giant Apple entered the football broadcasting industry when signing a 10-year major league Soccer (MLS) contract worth $2.5 billion.
According to the New York Times, Apple TV is about to reach an agreement with FIFA on the broadcasting rights for the 2025 Club World Cup tournament. It will mark the first time FIFA has sold broadcasting rights to a single unit. The deal could be announced later this month.
FIFA estimates the value of the tournament at $4 billion, but Apple could win the Club World Cup for as little as a fraction of a quarter, equivalent to $1 billion. The 2025 tournament will be expanded with the participation of 48 teams from continents, held in the US as part of preparation for the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada.
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will have the participation of many top teams, including Man City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Flamengo, Monterrey... The tournament will take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025. Currently the defending champion is Manchester City (UK). FIFA hopes that the tournament will gather successful football teams from all over the world, including 12 teams from Europe. The attraction of stars will create great demand from TV stations and commercial partners.
The deal between Apple and FIFA will see the tech giant make further investments in football, following its MLS deal. With Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami last summer, Apple's investment has seen a significant increase in profits. According to Sports Business Journal, the company has raised more than 2 million subscribers to MLS Season Pass (a streaming service launched by MLS and Apple) last year.
