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FIFA Signs Netflix to US Broadcast Deal for Women's World Cup in 2027, 2031

The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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FIFA Signs Netflix to US Broadcast Deal for Women's World Cup in 2027, 2031

The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

FIFA has signed Netflix to a United States broadcast deal for the Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031.

The deal announced Friday is the most significant FIFA has signed with a streaming service for a major tournament. The value was not given.

World Cups are typically broadcast on free-to-air public networks to reach the biggest audiences.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino publicly criticized public broadcasters, especially in Europe, for undervaluing offers to broadcast the 2023 tournament that was played in Australia and New Zealand. That tournament was broadcast by Fox in the US, The AP reported.

"This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game," Infantino said Friday in a statement.

FIFA will likely use the Netflix deal to drive talks with European broadcasters that will be more hardball negotiations.

The 32-team, 64-game tournament in 2027 will be played in Brazil from June 24-July 25. The 2031 host has not been decided, though the US is expected to bid.

Spain won the 2023 tournament after the US won the two previous titles.

Netflix dipped into live sports last month with more than 60 million households watching a heavily hyped boxing match between retired heavyweight legend Mike Tyson and social media personality Jake Paul.

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‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic 3’ Rule First Weekend of 2025

Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)
Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)
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‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic 3’ Rule First Weekend of 2025

Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)
Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)

The Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa” claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.

The photorealistic “Lion King” prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn’t far behind.

“Sonic 3” stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. “Mufasa’s” running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.

In third place, Focus Features’ “Nosferatu” remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable.

“Nosferatu,” which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).

No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, “Moana 2,” claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.

The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in 2019.

A24’s drama “Babygirl," which added 49 locations, held steady at $4.5 million.

Another Thanksgiving leftover, “Wicked,” rounded out the top five. Universal’s movie musical was made available to purchase on VOD on Jan. 31, but still earned another $10.2 million from theaters. The movie is up for several awards at Sunday’s Golden Globes, including nominations for Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, best motion picture musical or comedy and “cinematic and box office achievement,” which last year went to “Barbie.”

Also in theaters this weekend was the IMAX re-release of David Fincher’s 4K restoration of “Seven,” which earned just over $1 million from 200 locations.

The 2025 box office year is already off to a better start than 2024, up around 20% from the same weekend last year.