World Cup protected as SBS boss reveals missed detail in Socceroos and Matildas broadcast deal

Australian football fans and pundits losing their minds over the game's new broadcast deal with Paramount+/Network 10 have been reminded the world's biggest sporting event will remain on its spiritual free-to-air home. Lost a little in the small print surrounding Football Australia's renewed partnership with the American-owned broadcaster is that SBS will telecast all 104 matches at the 2026 World Cup.

That means Australian audiences won’t miss a minute of a tournament to be co-hosted by three countries – USA, Mexico and Canada – for the first time. That will come as a relief to the millions of Australian football fans concerned the event could go the way of so many other tournaments and end up in the hands of a streaming service.

Football World Cup set to remain on free-to-air TV

SBS's Director of Sport, Ken Shipp, told Yahoo Sport Australia: "Football is in SBS's DNA. We’ve proudly been the spiritual home of football on Australian TV for nearly 40 years, bringing the excitement and drama of the game to a country that has come to truly embrace the sport.

"The 2022 FIFA World Cup was our best ever. The response from Australians was incredible, with audiences consuming 80 million hours of tournament content on the network to support the Socceroos' strong campaign and witness some of the game's superstars perform at the highest level.

"We couldn't be more excited to bring Australians what will be the biggest FIFA World Cup ever in 2026, with a record-breaking 48 teams and 104 matches across an unprecedented three countries jointly hosting. It's set to be massive, and SBS is thrilled to share each moment with Australians, live and free.

"It's a huge undertaking for us, but we are now well-practiced at this and are excited to bring the tournament to audiences with an even more polished digital offering in 2026. It's going to be a good one."

Robbie Slater lashes out over new broadcast deal

Under the renewed broadcast arrangement celebrated by FA this week, only World Cup matches involving the Matildas and Socceroos – and qualifiers played in Australia – have to be shown on free-to-air television under the federal government's anti-siphoning laws. Fans will have to watch the Socceroos' overseas World Cup qualifiers on Paramount+.

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Former Socceroo Robbie Slater said the deal, which runs until 2028, made him "sick to my stomach". He is particularly concerned about the lack of love – and money – for the A-League competitions.

"I am pissed off that we have now got ourselves in this position that after everything the game has endured, we should go and pat everyone on the back about getting a new TV deal and thank Channel Ten for how they’ve treated football in this country by rewarding it with the Socceroos and Matildas," he wrote in his News Corp column. "Ten and Paramount only want football for the Matildas. There is no love for football or desire to grow the game. It is a risk climbing back into bed with Ten and Paramount. It makes me sick to my stomach."