The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase have officially approved a proposal by Bangladesh Television (BTV) to acquire the “all-media broadcast rights” for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. The state-owned broadcaster is set to procure these media rights directly from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the global governing body for association football.
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Official Committee Approvals
The crucial decision was finalised on Sunday, 7 June 2026, during two separate high-level ministerial meetings held at the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka. The sessions were held under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.
Policy Approval: The 17th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs granted essential in-principle approval for the acquisition via the Direct Procurement Method (DPM). This decision came in direct response to a formal state proposal submitted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Financial Approval: Following the initial policy clearance, the 25th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase formally reviewed and endorsed the precise financial expenditures associated with the procurement proposal on the exact same day.
Expenditure Breakdown and Procurement Strategy
According to the official proceedings of the cabinet committees, the total expenditure earmarked for securing the “all-media rights” from FIFA amounts to Tk 72,70,57,692 (seventy-two crore, seventy lakh, fifty-seven thousand, six hundred and ninety-two Taka). By utilizing the direct procurement method, BTV will bypass third-party intermediaries, establishing a direct contractual and financial agreement with football’s governing body.
The acquired “all-media rights” encompass comprehensive broadcasting privileges across various platforms. This ensures that the state broadcaster holds the exclusive public mandate to transmit live tournament matches, highlights, and related commentary through traditional terrestrial television, digital streaming platforms, and satellite channels within the territorial jurisdiction of Bangladesh.
Comparative Cost Reductions
The deployment of the Direct Procurement Method represents a notable shift in the state’s broadcast acquisition strategy. For the previous FIFA World Cup held in 2022, BTV did not secure rights directly from the governing body. Instead, it acquired the necessary broadcasting permissions through a private third-party intermediary, Toma Construction, at an estimated cost of Tk 980 million (Tk 98 crore).
By establishing direct negotiations with FIFA for the 2026 tournament, the government has successfully reduced procurement costs by approximately Tk 250 million (Tk 25 crore) compared to the previous tournament loop. This direct approach followed an earlier breakdown in negotiations with a Singapore-based firm, Springbok Pte Ltd, which had initially sought up to Tk 1.51 billion (Tk 151 crore) excluding taxes for the regional broadcast sub-licenses.
Context of the FIFA World Cup 2026
The FIFA World Cup 2026, which BTV has secured the broadcasting rights for, represents a historic milestone in international sports. Scheduled to begin on 11 June 2026 and run until 19 July 2026, this iteration of the tournament will be the first to feature an expanded format consisting of 48 national teams, a significant increase from the 32-team format utilized in previous tournaments since 1998. Consequently, the total number of matches will increase to 104, substantially raising the volume of content to be broadcasted.
Furthermore, the tournament is scheduled to be co-hosted across North America by three nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Matches will be distributed across 16 designated host cities. Given the geographical location of the host countries, the broadcasting schedule will align with North American time zones, necessitating structured broadcasting arrangements for late-night and early-morning viewers in Bangladesh.
The approval ensures that the state-owned media outlet retains the official capacity to provide nationwide access to the tournament. Historically, major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup draw massive viewership metrics in Bangladesh, making the acquisition of exclusive or comprehensive media rights a matter of significant public interest. The formal endorsement by both the economic and purchase committees satisfies the statutory regulatory requirements necessary for public fund allocation and international procurement by a state entity.