The company paying R18 billion for exclusive rights to an event they stream for free

London-based over-the-top sports streaming platform DAZN has been awarded the exclusive broadcasting rights to the 2025 Fifa Club World Cup — featuring local side Mamelodi Sundowns — for a reported R18 billion.

However, DAZN will broadcast the entire event for free from 15 June until 13 July 2025.

“I am delighted to announce that FIFA, in partnership with DAZN and FIFA+, will bring the best of club football for free to everywhere in the world,” Fifa President Gianni Infantino said.

“This means that every single football fan across the globe can watch the best players from the 32 best clubs compete in the new tournament to be the first official’ FIFA Club World Champions’.”

Part of the rights includes the option to sub-license them to free-to-air broadcasters.

This will be the first edition of the revised tournament format, which follows the 32-team format used during Fifa World Cup tournaments. The competition has typically been played with six to eight teams in the past.

“The new FIFA Club World Cup is a merit-based, inclusive tournament that will be the pinnacle of global club football, capturing the imagination of players and fans across the world,” Infantino continued.

“Through this broadcasting agreement, billions of football fans worldwide can now watch what will be the most widely accessible club football tournament ever — and for free. Football Unites the World.”

Despite South Africa only having one team competing in the tournament, it could be much more relevant to the country than initially anticipated.

DAZN’s acquisition of the rights comes as South Africa is formulating a new Visual and Audiovisual policy to determine which national sports matches should be broadcast for free.

However, it remains an open question of who should pay for the broadcast rights and how such acquisitions should be funded.

Communications minister Solly Malatsi said he was developing a new funding model for the SABC, which would be an obvious choice for broadcasting and streaming national sports matches.

Malatsi said developing the Visual and Audiovisual Policy, which will include new funding model options for the SABC, was part of why he withdrew the controversial SABC Bill.

Instead of tackling the funding issue, the bill kicks the can down the road.

It states that Ministers of Communications and Finance must develop an alternative funding mechanism for the SABC within three years of being signed into law.

However, Malatsi’s withdrawal of the SABC Bill has drawn the ire of his current deputy and former communications minister Mondli Gungubele, as well as President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa and deputy president Paul Mashatile have issued a decree that ministers may no longer withdraw pending legislation without their approval.

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, another former communications minister and current Minister in the Presidency, has claimed that the decree will be retroactive, blocking Malatsi’s withdrawal of the SABC Bill.