Fifa has confirmed that its relaunched Club World Cup will be broadcast for free around the world on Dazn, the dedicated sports streaming platform.
The 32-team tournament will take place in its new form for the first time next summer in the US, where Chelsea and Manchester City will be England’s representatives.
Dazn said the deal marked the start of a long-term collaboration with football’s world governing body, which will also see the Fifa+ archive integrated onto its platform.
Sources close to the London-headquartered broadcaster, majority owned by billionaire Sir Len Blavatnik, denied any involvement by Saudi Arabia in funding the agreement.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said: “I am delighted to announce that Fifa, in partnership with Dazn and Fifa+, will bring the best of club football for free to everywhere in the world, meaning that every single football fan across the globe can watch the best players from the 32 best clubs compete in the new Fifa Club World Cup to be the first official ‘Fifa Club World Champions’.
“The new Fifa Club World Cup is a merit-based, inclusive tournament that will be the pinnacle of global club football, capturing the imagination of players and fans across the world. Through this broadcasting agreement, billions of football fans worldwide can now watch what will be the most widely accessible club football tournament ever – and for free.”
It comes ahead of Thursday’s draw for the tournament, which is being held in Miami and will be the first Club World Cup content broadcast on Dazn’s app and online portal.
The company said the exclusive global rights would also allow it to sublicense action from the competition to local free-to-air TV channels.
Infantino pressed ahead with the Club World Cup, which is changing from an annual seven-team knockout held in winter to a bigger event every four years, despite numerous hurdles.
Leagues, clubs and players have all pushed back against the expansion, while sponsors and broadcasters have been slow to back the new product.
The rights are a coup of sorts for Dazn, however, which is best known in the UK for its coverage of boxing, in which it has deals with leading promoters Matchroom and Queensberry.
“This groundbreaking deal with Fifa is a major milestone in Dazn’s journey to be the ultimate entertainment platform of choice for sports fans everywhere,” said CEO Shay Segev.
“We’re delighted to have the exclusive rights to this new chapter in global club football, marking the start of our long-term relationship with Fifa and cementing our status as the home of football.
“Dazn is the only sports streaming platform that has a truly global reach, with world-leading technology and a single-minded focus to deliver the very best digital experience for all sports fans.
“We’re committed to ensuring that every fan can watch every moment of the thrilling action from this new prime club tournament.”