"FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026" in Thailand has had its price cut to 86 million baht. Is it worth it? India has withdrawn again... what happens from here?
The issue concerns the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026, where FIFA initially set the broadcast rights price at 98 million baht for Thailand, covering both divisions with just 20 matches in total.
Most participants are ASEAN nations; if not ASEAN, then not "big teams," such as Pakistan, Hong Kong, or India. However, India recently announced its withdrawal because it wants to prepare for a match against Brazil instead, adding a pointed reason that they've faced ASEAN teams frequently in recent years, but playing Brazil is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for players.
I understand this. Indian football fans dream of watching Brazilian players who play for top global clubs. Facing world-class players isn't an easy opportunity.
As far as I know, FIFA has tried to have intermediaries negotiate with Thai channels, but so far there is no progress. Although there is news of a price reduction from 98 million baht to 86 million baht, this means an average of 4.3 million baht per match.
Looking at the world rankings of teams in the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 Premier Division alone, Thailand ranks best, followed by Vietnam (94th and 98th in the world).
The others include Indonesia ranked 118th.
Malaysia is 136th.
Singapore ranks 148th.
The Philippines is 135th.
Pakistan ranks 198th.
Additionally, India, which has withdrawn, has a population exceeding 1.4 billion people, meaning Indian audiences will likely lose interest in this tournament.
The question is, even with the reported price reduction, is it expensive? For me, it remains very costly!
Suppose the rights are bought at this price and the matches are shown for free with sponsorship revenue; it still seems tough to break even, especially since it’s a short tournament from 24 September to 4 October, not counting additional production costs, which are hidden expenses. If the rights are resold in packages to fans, criticism is likely, though the buyers themselves are not to blame.
Currently, in Vietnam, despite FIFA lowering the price, I have reports confirming that no Vietnamese TV channels are close to securing broadcast rights, unlike the situation in Thailand.
Tuổi Trẻ, a major Vietnamese newspaper, analyzed that the price FIFA is asking per match for the FIFA ASEAN Cup 2026 is even higher than what some ASEAN countries paid to acquire World Cup broadcast rights.
Going forward, there is a chance FIFA will reduce the rights price further if there is still no interest, similar to when they cut the price for China’s World Cup rights by up to 80%, from about 300 million USD (approximately 9.78 billion baht) down to only 60 million USD (around 1.95 billion baht) through an agreement with China Media Group covering four World Cup tournaments until 2031.
Given the current economy, no one wants to buy rights only to face losses after the tournament ends!