KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Following on the heels of delivering a successful 2026 World Cup, FIFA's president Gianni Infantino may have slipped in trying to market the tournament as a product with investor deals.
The success also reflected in television numbers from just the UAE and Middle East, as shared by the official broadcaster, and reveals why Infantino pushed the envelope so quickly that riled member boards and officials that they have expressed reservations now in re-electing the Italian back to the chair in November's elections.
Infantino came up with a plan with even a deadline to get it approved to sell a stake in the organisation's commercial and event operations. The proposal attracted major opposition from the continental confederations that govern the game, including UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation.
When Spain won the final to dethrone Argentina to the 2026 World Cup title, Infantino's stock rose with buoyant numbers that rewrote the record books in the tournament's history.
The first 48-team finals produced the most goals ever scored at a World Cup (308), a record nine African teams in the knockout rounds, and a record eight Arab nations participating.
According to BeIn Sports, the organisation behind TOD, the right holders for the UAE, a cumulative viewership of 6.2 billion across the 39-day tournament, according to independent audience measurement by Ipsos.
For the final at New York New Jersey Stadium, 245.4 million were watching across the region, representing 68.6% of MENA's total adult population.
Similarly, when Egypt took 2022 champions Argentina to the brink in the Round of 16, 192.6 million watched – a record for a match featuring an Arab team.
From Portugal's last-16 meeting with eventual champions Spain (152.1 million) to Brazil's clash with Norway (138.3 million), the biggest World Cup ever staged produced the biggest audiences beIN has ever recorded.
It was, above all, a historic tournament for Arab football. The region's record eight representatives drew a cumulative 2.1 billion viewers across their 29 matches.