Zee Entertainment brings FIFA World Cup 2026 to cinemas, pubs and campuses across India

MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment is not content with putting the FIFA World Cup 2026 on your television. It wants to put it everywhere else too.

The company has established a network of public viewing partnerships across India, awarding screening rights to Novex Communications, Eagles FC Kerala, Zion Bridge and What’s Up Goa. These partners will work with venues and establishments to enable legal, authorised screenings of World Cup matches, bringing the tournament into pubs, restaurants, clubs, gymkhanas, airports, educational institutions and hotels across the country.

Going further, Zee has also partnered with PVR INOX and Cinepolis to screen select matches on cinema screens nationwide, giving football fans the chance to watch the tournament’s biggest moments on the biggest screens available.

Gareth Eswin Thomas, business head of Zee Live at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, argued that the initiative was as much about the nature of live sport as it was about distribution. “In today’s attention economy, shared experiences have become increasingly valuable, and live sports remain one of the few formats capable of bringing large audiences together in real time,” he said. “From cinemas and hospitality venues to clubs, educational institutions and public spaces, we are building an ecosystem that extends the FIFA World Cup 2026 experience beyond the home and brings fans closer to the action.”

The public viewing push forms part of Zee’s broader ambition to build a lasting football culture in India, anchored by its eight-year, 39-tournament FIFA rights package secured earlier this year. The tournament itself will be broadcast across ZEE5 and the Unite8 Sports linear channels in Hindi, English, Bangla and Malayalam.

With 48 nations competing for the first time in World Cup history, the tournament is already the biggest in the event’s history. Zee is making sure that, at least in India, the audience matches the occasion.