FIFA President meets EBU representatives at FIFA HQ in Zürich, Switzerland
The two organisations share a long-standing relationship for the broadcasting of FIFA tournaments to a European audience
Discussions centred around the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup and the EBU’s future plans for football coverage
FIFA President Gianni Infantino welcomed representatives of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), led by Director General Noel Curran, to the Home of FIFA in Zürich, Switzerland, where discussions centred on where the long-standing partnership stands now and how it can continue to flourish in the future. “The European Broadcasting Union and their members have been long-term partners of FIFA and together they have helped bring our tournaments to a massive TV audience across many territories for many years,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“This is set to continue with the FIFA Women’s World Cup which kicks off in 50 days, and we continue to seek a fair deal for the remaining media rights for the tournament in line with the growth of the women’s game. We also appreciate that the EBU are looking at ways to promote the rapid development of women’s football on their various channels. It was good to understand the plans that the EBU have, and how they are committed to developing football coverage across their network for the years to come.” In October 2022, FIFA and the EBU announced a deal that means the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ will be broadcast free-to-air across 28 European territories when it is hosted by Australia and New Zealand between 20 July to 20 August.
“It was great to have such open and exciting discussions with President Infantino about the future development of women’s football,” said EBU Director General Noel Curran. “We share a common goal - developing this great sport. We are totally committed to working with FIFA and our public service media organisations to bring women’s football to the widest possible audience in the most innovative ways.” The EBU groups not only European countries, but some 56 nations around the world with an additional 30 associate members in Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas across their entire network. With members operating nearly 2,000 television, radio and online channels in the public broadcasting sector, the EBU helps reach over a billion people around the world in 153 languages.