The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought the response of the central government and Prasar Bharati regarding a petition that demands the broadcast of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in India.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav issued a notice on the plea, filed by lawyer Avdhesh Bairwa, and scheduled the next hearing for May 20. The court also questioned whether the petition should be treated as a public interest litigation.
The petitioner argued that citizens have the right to access the telecast of major sporting events, and that a judicial “nudge” would help secure that right. The plea highlighted that no broadcaster in India has acquired the rights for the tournament this year, which would violate the fundamental right to receive information for millions of fans across the country.
The petition seeks interim directions for the government to acquire broadcasting rights for the opening match, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final through Prasar Bharati, while the final relief requests coverage for all 104 matches of the tournament.
The FIFA World Cup 2026, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will run from June 11 to July 19. Since 1998, every edition of the tournament has been broadcast commercially in India, making the current absence of a broadcaster unprecedented in recent history.
