Bangladesh has secured television and digital coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after weeks of uncertainty that left football fans facing the prospect of missing the tournament on local screens.
A consortium comprising Somoy TV, Bangladesh Television (BTV) and T Sports has acquired the broadcasting rights for Bangladesh, ensuring that all matches of football’s biggest tournament will be available to viewers across the country.
The agreement comes less than two weeks before the start of the World Cup, ending concerns that Bangladesh could enter the tournament period without a confirmed broadcaster.
The rights for Bangladesh had initially been acquired from FIFA by Singapore-based Springbok Pte Ltd. However, the company was unable to conclude a local distribution agreement and subsequently withdrew from the arrangement, leaving the country without a broadcaster for one of the world’s most-watched sporting events.
As negotiations dragged on, uncertainty grew among fans and industry observers, raising questions about why a broadcasting solution had not been finalized earlier despite the World Cup’s fixed schedule and immense popularity in Bangladesh.
The breakthrough came through a consortium involving Somoy TV, BTV and T Sports, which will exclusively televise all matches in Bangladesh.
In addition to television coverage, viewers will be able to watch matches through digital platforms. Banglalink’s streaming platform Toffee and Grameenphone’s Bioscope service will provide online access to the tournament, giving audiences multiple viewing options across television, mobile and internet-connected devices.
Banglalink announced earlier this month that Toffee had secured the digital streaming rights for the tournament.
“Banglalink has secured the OTT streaming rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026, bringing all 104 matches of the world’s biggest football tournament to fans across Bangladesh through Toffee,” the company said in a statement issued on June 3.
The 2026 tournament will be the largest in FIFA’s history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The late resolution of the broadcasting issue has nevertheless highlighted broader concerns about Bangladesh’s readiness for major international sporting events. With the World Cup approaching, the country spent months without a confirmed broadcaster after the original rights arrangement collapsed.
Media industry figures have noted that major sporting rights are typically finalized well in advance, allowing broadcasters sufficient time to market coverage, secure sponsors and prepare technical infrastructure. In Bangladesh’s case, those preparations were compressed into a much shorter timeframe following the breakdown of negotiations involving the original rights holder.
The episode also underscored the continued reliance on last-minute negotiations to secure access to major international events for Bangladeshi audiences.
Sources familiar with the arrangement said BTV, the state-owned broadcaster, is not expected to bear any direct financial burden for the coverage. Instead, the broadcasting costs will be shared by the participating satellite television channels and telecom operators.
For millions of Bangladeshi football fans, however, the outcome is likely to overshadow the uncertainty that preceded it.
The World Cup consistently draws some of the largest television audiences in Bangladesh, where support for traditional football powers such as Brazil and Argentina often transforms neighborhoods, businesses and social media into month-long celebrations of the sport.
With the broadcasting dispute finally resolved, attention can now shift to the tournament itself as the countdown begins to the first FIFA World Cup to feature 48 teams and be jointly hosted by three countries.
