Officials believe that this amount of money could bring longer-term benefits if it is redirected into the development of grassroots football in Thailand.
Prime Minister's Office Minister Paradorn Prissanananthakul said that the Government has not given up efforts to buy broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup, a tournament held in the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
Previously, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul directed the Government Public Relations Office (PRD) to coordinate with the National Broadcasting and Communications Commission (NBTC) to find ways for Thai audiences to be able to watch the matches live.
However, preliminary negotiations between PRD and NBTC have shown significant financial obstacles. Mr. Paradorn said that copyright fees alone amounted to about 1.3 billion baht, plus taxes of about 300 million baht and operating costs of nearly 100 million baht - pushing the total amount to over 1.7 billion baht.
There are questions about whether 1.7 billion baht will really inspire Thai youth and help Thai football reach the World Cup finals in the future. Perhaps using the same amount of money to support youth football development programs and strengthen Thai football infrastructure will bring greater long-term benefits," Mr. Paradorn Prissanananthakul shared with Thai media.
Mr. Paradorn added that this proposal needs to be carefully considered because the funding comes from people's tax money, regardless of where the funding comes from. The final decision is expected to be made soon, when the tournament is less than a month away from opening.
He proposed that the money could be used to support grassroots programs for a few years, citing the Prime Minister's Cup youth tournament previously organized by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports as an example of low cost that has helped inspire and develop young players nationwide.
Prime Minister Anutin said that the Thai government is still making every effort to ensure the right to broadcast the World Cup for the country's audience and is coordinating "to the maximum extent" to find out all feasible options.
