Netflix’s next goal in live sports: the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

FIFA and Netflix announced an agreement that gives the streamer exclusive rights to the 2027 and 2031 installments of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the United States. The companies said the deal was “a groundbreaking announcement for women’s football.”

The FIFA Women’s World Cup will be the first competition to be fully taken over by Netflix. According to FIFA, it “further strengthens the tournament’s status as the largest women’s sporting event in the world and provides an excellent platform to further promote the sport.”

Under the deal, Netflix will offer U.S.-based fans “unprecedented access” to every game live and “immersive coverage,” including studio shows. The agreement spans Puerto Rico and covers all languages, with high-profile talent poised to appear in a doubleheader for both English- and Spanish-language broadcasts in the United States

The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place in Brazil from June 24 to July 25 and will see the 32 best national teams from around the world compete on the pitch. The host country or countries for the 2031 tournament have yet to be selected by the FIFA Congress.

For the 2023 Women’s World Cup, to be hosted in Australia and New Zealand, U.S. broadcast rights were split between Fox Sports and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo, which were also the U.S. rights holders for the 2015 and 2019 tournaments.

In addition to live coverage, Netflix will produce exclusive documentary series leading up to both tournaments, highlighting the world’s best players, their journey and the global growth of women’s football.

Netflix’s inclusion of the two Women’s World Cup tournaments for U.S. members is the latest foray into live sports. Next week, on Christmas Day, Netflix will broadcast two NFL games (Chiefs vs. Steelers and Ravens vs. Texans) live to a global audience for the first time, as well as a halftime show with Beyoncé at the Ravens-Texans game. Netflix also has rights to at least one NFL Christmas game in 2025 and 2026. Additionally, starting in January 2025, Netflix will broadcast WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” live every week as part of a multi-billion dollar, 10-year deal.

“I’ve seen the fan base for the FIFA Women’s World Cup grow tremendously – from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019 to the incredible energy we saw in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand last year,” said Bela, Chief Content Officer of Netflix Bajaria. “Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix is ​​not just about streaming games, but also about celebrating the players, culture and passion that are driving the rise of women’s sports around the world.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino called it “a milestone for sports media rights.”

“As a top brand and new long-term partner of FIFA, Netflix has demonstrated a very strong commitment to the growth of women’s football,” Infantino said. “This agreement sends a strong message about the true value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and global women’s football. The collaboration between FIFA and Netflix makes this a truly historic day for broadcasting and women’s football.”

Netflix’s football-related content included Under Pressure: The US Women’s World Cup Team, Captains of the World (in collaboration with FIFA), Neymar: The Perfect Chaos, Beckham and Sunderland ‘Til I The”. and “Boca Juniors Confidential.” The streamer also has upcoming documentaries about Vinícius Júnior and José Mourinho in its lineup.

(Pictured above: Sophia Smith of the USA controls the ball against Filippa Angeldal of Sweden during the round of 16 match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on August 6, 2023.)