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 terminates Bangladesh IPL and WPL broadcast rights deals
Payment defaults lead to licence cancellations and potential legal action.
MUMBAI: When the money stops flowing in cricket’s biggest cash cow, even the sub-licence holders can find themselves suddenly bowled out. JioStar India Private Limited has terminated its Bangladesh sub-licence agreements for the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL) after the counterparty, Excel Lead IT Solutions FZ-LLC (holding company of broadcaster T-Sports), failed to clear outstanding dues.
The agreements, originally signed with Viacom18 (now part of JioStar) and later novated to Excel Lead, covered digital media rights for the IPL and WPL in Bangladesh for the 2023–27 seasons. In early January 2026, JioStar issued a demand notice for unpaid amounts related to the IPL 2025 and WPL 2025 seasons. Despite providing full access to matches and allowing complete commercial exploitation, the dues remained unpaid even after the cure period expired.
As a result, all licensed rights have automatically reverted to JioStar. The company has demanded immediate payment of all outstanding dues along with overdue interest and costs, and has instructed Excel Lead (T-Sports) to immediately cease any broadcast, streaming, promotion or exploitation of the rights in Bangladesh. Any continued use would constitute unauthorised exploitation.
JioStar is also considering legal proceedings, including interim and injunctive relief, to protect the commercial value of these high-profile cricket properties.
In a separate development, JioStar has invoked arbitration against Green Bean Sports Marketing (an affiliate of Gazi TV Bangladesh) over a sublicensing agreement for IPL television media rights in Bangladesh for the 2023–27 seasons. The agreement was terminated in January 2025 due to contractual breaches and payment issues.
Industry sources say JioStar remains confident in the judicial process and is determined to recover all outstanding amounts, including interest and litigation costs, in full.
The developments highlight a growing zero-tolerance approach by rights holders towards payment defaults and unauthorised exploitation in South Asia’s lucrative sports media market, where marquee cricket properties continue to command premium valuations.
In the high-stakes game of cricket broadcasting, it seems JioStar has decided that when payments don’t come, the game stops and the rights go back to the rightful owner.
