According to Malaysian media, negotiations between domestic stakeholders and FIFA have not yet made any breakthroughs even though the tournament is approaching. Updated information is expected to be available next week.
Malaysia has not yet confirmed which television station will broadcast the 2026 World Cup, a tournament taking place from June 11 to July 19 in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The initial price that FIFA offered was 50 million USD (198.5 million Malaysian ringgit) which caused major obstacles for local television stations, although it is known that this fee was later reduced to 35 million USD (138.9 million Malaysian ringgit).
Although the price is lower, television stations are said to be still cautious due to tight sponsorship deadlines, economic pressure and dense sports schedules.
In addition, the dense schedule of Malaysian sports events also contributes to increased hesitation, with the Glasgow Commonwealth Games from July 23 to August 2 and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from September 19 to October 4 expected to further strain the funding budget.
Malaysian fans are also ready to accept the option that this country does not have any units owning the 2026 World Cup copyright. Many opinions call on the Malaysian Government not to use state budget to buy copyrights at the last minute.
Malaysia has a long history associated with the World Cup, starting from 1966, with Malaysian Radio and Television (RTM) being the key unit in reporting on the tournament for decades. In the later stages, Astro was the unit that bought the World Cup copyright, but this year they are at risk of missing out on the tournament if negotiations do not reach an agreement in time.
In Southeast Asia, Malaysia, along with Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei and Laos, do not yet have the 2026 World Cup copyright. Vietnam is in the final negotiation phase. Meanwhile, other countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia and Timor Leste have finalized the tournament copyright.
