Sports
Kia Offers Customers Chance to Attend FIFA World Cup 2026
Bookings from 12 February to 10 March 2026 unlock USA trips and pitch moments
MUMBAI- From showroom floors to stadium roars, Kia India is putting football fever into fifth gear. As anticipation builds for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, the carmaker has unveiled two high-octane consumer initiatives that turn vehicle ownership into a ticket to the world’s biggest sporting stage.
Through ‘Kia Walk with Champions’ and ‘Kia Drive to FIFA World Cup 2026’, Kia is offering customers a chance not just to watch history unfold in the USA, but to step right into it.
A global official partner of FIFA since 2007 and long-standing official mobility partner for marquee tournaments, Kia is now extending that legacy to Indian customers with experiences that blend aspiration, sport and family emotion.
Under ‘Kia Walk with Champions’, two children aged between 10 and 14 will be selected to serve as Official Match Ball Carriers at a FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match in the United States. Customers who book and complete the purchase of a Carens Clavis (ICE or EV) between 12 February and 10 March 2026 can register to participate. One winner each from the Carens Clavis ICE and Carens Clavis EV pool will be chosen through a third-party audited lucky draw.
Each selected child will walk onto the pitch alongside global football stars, accompanied by one parent or guardian. Kia will manage travel, visa and hospitality arrangements end to end, ensuring what the company describes as a seamless, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
The second initiative, ‘Kia Drive to FIFA World Cup 2026’, widens the net. Four customers across India will win an all-expenses-paid trip to attend a live World Cup match in the USA with premium hospitality included. Eligibility extends to those who book and complete the purchase of Seltos, Sonet, Syros or Carens Clavis (ICE/EV) within the same campaign window. One winner each will be selected from Seltos, Sonet and Syros, along with one winner from the Carens Clavis category.
Each winner can travel with one companion, making it a shared celebration rather than a solo spectacle. With just four winners nationwide, exclusivity is built into the design.
Kia India senior vice president for sales & marketing Atul Sood said the association with FIFA spans nearly two decades globally and reflects the brand’s ambition to create experiences that go beyond mobility. He described the World Cup as the pinnacle of global sporting passion and noted that enabling customers and their families to either witness a live match or see their child walk onto the pitch creates memories that last far longer than a matchday.
Participation in both initiatives requires bookings made between 12 February and 10 March 2026, with final eligibility subject to completion of purchase within the stipulated timeline and adherence to campaign terms. Winners will be determined through independently audited lucky draws to ensure transparency.
With the FIFA World Cup 2026 expected to command global attention, Kia’s pitch is clear: buy a car, and you might just drive all the way to football’s grandest stage.
Sports
JioStar drags Legends League Cricket to Delhi High Court in media rights row
The streaming giant secured an interim order on the very day the tournament was set to kick off, freezing commercial dealings and pushing the dispute toward mediation
MUMBAI: JioStar India moved fast and hit hard. On March 11th, the same day the Legends League Cricket Masters T20 Tournament was scheduled to begin, the company secured an interim order from the Delhi High Court against Absolute Legends Sports Private Limited, the outfit that runs the league, in a bitter dispute over media and commercial rights.
The petition, filed under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, before Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, sought ad-interim protection preventing Absolute Legends from creating third-party rights, transferring, assigning or otherwise dealing with the media and commercial rights relating to the league. In plain terms: JioStar wanted to stop Absolute Legends from doing any more deals with anyone else while the dispute runs its course.
What Absolute Legends agreed to
Senior advocate Abhimanyu Bhandari, appearing for Absolute Legends, did not come to court empty-handed. He submitted that the company would file a comprehensive affidavit disclosing all commercial transactions currently being undertaken, including the agreement entered into with the second respondent in the case. The affidavit, he said, would be filed by all directors of the company.
Crucially, Bhandari also undertook that any receivables arising from commercial arrangements connected to the league would be deposited directly with the court, in an account to be opened by the registrar general, toward satisfaction of the admitted liability. The one caveat: those deposits should not prevent Absolute Legends from meeting its operational expenses necessary for the smooth functioning of its commercial activities. In other words, the company wants to keep the lights on while the legal battle plays out.
JioStar was represented by senior advocate Kunal Tandon, leading a team that included Aanchal Tandon, Niti Jain, Niharika Sharma, Nitai Agarwal and Natasa, along with Krishma Shah as the authorised representative of the petitioner.
Mediation ordered, next date set
Both sides agreed that the matter should be referred for mediation, and the court obliged. The dispute was directed to the Delhi High Court Mediation and Conciliation Centre, with parties ordered to appear before it on March 13th. The incharge of the mediation centre was requested to appoint a senior mediator. The case is listed before the court again on March 17th for further proceedings.
The timing could hardly be more awkward for Legends League Cricket. A tournament that was supposed to be launching was instead the subject of a courtroom freeze on the very day it was meant to kick off. Whether mediation resolves the dispute quickly or the matter returns to a full hearing on March 17th, one thing is clear: JioStar is not prepared to let its rights walk out the door without a fight.
