The 2026 World Cup was a big ratings win for Fox Corporation (FOXA) and Comcast Corporation (CMCSA), which hold the U.S. media rights for the quadrennial soccer tournament. With strong viewership and the potential for even more matches in 2030 and 2034, media and streaming giants are lining up for a bidding war.

But politics could quickly become involved, with the FCC suggesting streamers need not apply.

2030, 2034 World Cup Rights

Four years from now, the 2030 World Cup will be hosted in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. Several companies could emerge victorious from the soccer tournament, including whoever secures the U.S. media rights.

Fox and Telemundo, owned by Comcast, have shared the English and Spanish-language rights, respectively, for the last three years. Fox paid an estimated $485 million for this year's tournament, while Comcast paid $600 million for Spanish-language and streaming rights on Peacock. Before that, the 2014 rights were split between Disney (DIS) and Univision.

This year's World Cup ran from June 11 through July 19 and featured 104 matches — 40 more than the last tournament — thanks to an expansion from 32 to 48 teams. The 2030 World Cup could feature 64 teams and 128 matches, according to ESPN. That expanded format and strong viewership have bidders lining up for the next two World Cups.

CNBC reports that Disney, Netflix Inc (NFLX), and Alphabet Inc (GOOGL)-owned YouTube are the likely bidders, with Apple Inc (AAPL) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) also potential players. Estimates suggest the rights for 2030 and 2034 could cost $1.5 billion to $2 billion each, with English and Spanish-language rights packaged together.

The White House's Warning

Before streamers throw their hats in the ring, they may want to listen to recent comments from Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and an ally of President Donald Trump.

"It's a totally different cultural experience to have things like this for free over the air," Carr told talk show host Clay Travis. Travis named Netflix, Amazon, and ESPN as potential bidders. Carr hinted the goal was to keep World Cup games in the U.S. available for free outside of cable or streaming. "It brings so many more people together. It's the top of conversation, whether social media or all the way down." Carr said it was important to have the games available to everyone.

This might be important to remember, as a Trump administration official previously warned media companies other than Paramount Skydance against bidding for Warner Bros. Discovery. That list included potential suitors like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple. "The Warner board needs to think very seriously not just on the price competition but which player in the suitor pool has been successful getting a deal done," the official said, specifically naming the Ellisons — David and Larry Ellison of Paramount Skydance.

Bidders thinking they may be able to boost cable rates or streaming figures with World Cup rights may need to think again after Carr's warning. Disney's rights in 2010 saw ABC air 10 games and ESPN air the other 54 — a move that would likely not fly with the current administration. Fox aired some games on Fox Sports and some on the Fox broadcast channel this year. A streamer like Netflix looking to land the rights may have to partner with or promise to air U.S. games on broadcast. Netflix already holds the rights to the 2027 and 2031 Women's World Cup, meaning consumers won't be able to watch the U.S. Women's team for free in those tournaments.

2026 World Cup Success

This year's tournament has seen media companies set records with NFL-like ratings numbers, according to Variety. A round-of-32 knockout game between the United States and Bosnia-Herzegovina was watched by an average of 26.4 million fans in English and 9.8 million in Spanish. The game peaked at an average of 34.8 million English-language fans, making it the most-watched English-language soccer game in U.S. history.

For Fox and Comcast, it's not just Team USA that is winning ratings. "We're seeing numbers for some of these matches that we don't see for anything but the NFL," Fox Sports' president of insight and analytics Michael Mulvihill told Variety. Over the first 72 group-stage games, the average viewership on Fox was 5.05 million per game. Even smaller country games have had strong viewership, with reports of 6 million people watching Scotland vs. Haiti and 6.2 million watching Uruguay vs. Cape Verde. The championship game between Spain and Argentina drew preliminary viewership of 22.6 million across Telemundo and Peacock.

With those numbers, it's no wonder everyone wants a piece of the World Cup. But the White House may have other plans.