World Cup 2026: Malaysians Ask Who Is Going To Be Our Official Local Broadcaster?

Malaysia has not yet announced an official broadcaster that will televise this year’s World Cup tournament live.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

The largest football event is about to kick off in a few months and there’s no sign of an official local broadcaster that will air the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches live in Malaysia yet.

Many have begun flooding social media with questions about where they can watch the live broadcast of the prestigious tournament.

View on Threads

Our ASEAN neighbours Indonesia and Singapore are already one step ahead of us and have announced their local official broadcasters that will be screening the World Cup this year.

Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI) secured rights to provide free-to-air coverage for all 104 matches, while Singapore’s Mediacorp is providing comprehensive coverage for all the matches under a subscription package.

Malaysians have rarely missed watching the World Cup on live television

World Cup screenings in Malaysia have historically been hosted by a combination of public broadcasters, satellite TV providers, corporate sponsors and sometimes popular F&B establishments.

Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), the nation’s public broadcaster, screened 41 out of 67 FIFA World Cup matches in 2018 for free.

Astro, as the main pay-TV broadcaster in Malaysia, consistently held rights to show all 64 World Cup matches in 2010, 2018, and 2022.

Meanwhile, companies like Maxis and AirAsia have, in the past, acted as corporate sponsors for RTM’s free match coverage in 2018. Iconic beverage company Coca-Cola also contributed to events such as the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, which brought the coveted football trophy to Malaysia in 2010, 2014, and even on 21 January this year at the Sunway Pyramid shopping centre.

There was a time when Malaysian citizens were the sponsors of a World Cup match screening

A historical tale of Malaysian football passion occurred in 1982, when football fans all across the nation became sponsors themselves through a crowdfunding project which accumulated up to RM300,000 in donations to RTM.

The monetary contributions enabled RTM to broadcast an additional four group matches, and the famous phrase Ditaja Oleh Rakyat Malaysia (Sponsored by the Malaysian People) was flashed across television screens before each of those matches.

This year’s World Cup will be on a much larger scale

The 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup is set to take place from 11 June to 19 July and is, for the first time, jointly hosted by three countries — Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

It’s also going to be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams and 104 matches taking place in 16 cities, making it much larger than its previous events.

Because of this, the cost of broadcasting would logically increase as well, and therein lies the question as to whether financial factors are a barrier to any local station from appearing as the official broadcaster.

Where can Malaysians possibly watch the matches live if there’s no official broadcaster?

The short answer is, yes.

According to Inside FIFA, the 2026 World Cup will be available to watch live on YouTube through a partnership with FIFA, allowing official media partners to stream the first 10 minutes of every match for free.

Select full matches will also be streamed by broadcasters, alongside extensive highlights, behind-the-scenes content, and Shorts on YouTube. Beyond live action, fans can expect behind-the-scenes content from creators and on-demand highlights.

FIFA will also feature full-length past matches and historical moments on their official YouTube channel.

Find out more about the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 HERE.

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.