A few months after securing global rights to FIFA’s re-imagined Club World Cup, sports streaming service DAZN has found a U.S. television partner.
The company announced on Wednesday that TNT Sports will be the U.S. television home for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. 24 of the tournament’s 63 matches will air live across TNT, TBS, and truTV. This year’s Club World Cup, the first of a newly expanded format, will be played in the United States as a bit of a dry run for the 2026 World Cup hosted in North America.
DAZN secured rights to the Club World Cup from FIFA late last year after a prolonged bidding process resulted in little interest from traditional American media companies, at least at the price point soccer’s governing body was demanding. FIFA then courted DAZN, who paid $1 billion for rights to air the competition globally. Subsequently, DAZN received a $1 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Not coincidentally, FIFA recently awarded the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia.
Subtle, right?
In any case, part of DAZN’s tie-up with FIFA required the streamer to find a linear television partner in the United States. That’s where TNT Sports comes in. Per the announcement, TNT Sports will air matches from the group stage, knockout stages, and the Final.
The competition kicks off on June 14 when Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami squad takes on the Egyptian club El-Ahly in Miami. A broadcast schedule has yet to be released, but you can bet that TNT is excited at the prospect of having Messi on its airwaves, which is a rarity on any linear network given the MLS-Apple deal.
The tournament will also fit nicely into TNT Sports’ summer portfolio. The network will wrap its first year of French Open tennis coverage about one week before the Club World Cup’s first game. Then, soccer will take the network through mid-July.
The deal also expands TNT’s soccer portfolio.
Currently, the network airs select USMNT and USWNT games, including some CONCACAF Nations League matches, the SheBelieves Cup, and friendlies.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.