The next two FIFA Women’s World Cups will only be shown on Netflix

FIFA’s announcement indicated that it expects to reach a larger audience and increase American engagement by broadcasting on Netflix. FIFA said 1.2 billion people watched the 2019 Women’s World Cup, ESPN noticed. Netflix has already demonstrated the ability to attract a massive amount of viewers to exclusive sports matches. In November, Netflix claimed the “most streamed sporting event of all time” when it streamed a boxing event centered around a Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight, reportedly garnering 65 million live concurrent streams.

According to FIFA’s announcement, Netflix will stream the tournaments in English and Spanish via a “dual broadcast”. Under the deal, Netflix will also release a documentary series about the biggest players ahead of both tournaments. Brazil will host the 2027 event, while the host country for the 2031 Women’s World Cup has yet to be announced.

The news comes as streaming platforms continue to battle over sports. Currently, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox in a legal battle over plans to launch a joint sports streaming app, Venu, which is being challenged by sports streamer Fubo over antitrust charges. The case will go to court in October.

Meanwhile, fans are adapting to changes in how sporting events are broadcast, learning to hop between channels and streaming services to find their events and manage buffering and other technical problems. At times, some of the biggest fans, like NFL player Tariq Woolen, have resorted to illegal piracy to avoid complications and fees, underscoring the pressure for streaming services to perfect and simplify the streaming of the live events they eagerly grab.