Max Sport, the Bulgarian pay-television broadcaster owned by telecoms firm A1, has secured exclusive rights to broadcast the upcoming 2023 FIFA Club World Cup games in Bulgaria. The tournament will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Under this agreement, Max Sport will provide comprehensive coverage of every match from the tournament. The broadcasting begins with today’s opening fixture between Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad and OFC Champions League winner Auckland City at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
The tournament features several high-profile teams including English Premier League club Manchester City representing Europe after their UEFA Champions League victory last year. Other participating teams include Copa Libertadores winner Fluminese, AFC Champions League winner Urawa Red Diamonds, CAF Champions League winner Al-Ahly and Concacaf Champions League victor Club Leon.
The competition is set to conclude with a grand finale on December 22nd.
This year's edition holds special significance as it marks the last time that only seven teams will participate in the CWC. From 2025 onwards, FIFA plans to expand this prestigious competition to include a total of 32 sides.
In addition to Max Sport's acquisition of broadcasting rights in Bulgaria, other global broadcasters have also secured deals for airing this highly anticipated event. UK pay-TV heavyweight TNT Sports owned by Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), has announced its acquisition of broadcasting rights across UK and Ireland.
Italian social media-based news outlet Cronache Di Spogliatoio will exclusively broadcast live matches on YouTube while Brazil’s Globo extended its existing CWC rights to cover this year’s edition as well.
Max Sport's portfolio includes almost every top league, from Serie A to La Liga to MLS to the UEFA Champions League
Securing these exclusive rights adds another feather in Max Sports' cap, which already boasts an extensive soccer portfolio. The broadcaster holds rights to Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s LaLiga, the Dutch Eredivisie, the Turkish Cup and North America’s MLS among others.
Max Sport also covers major UEFA tournaments including the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League games along with South American club tournaments Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.
Beyond soccer, Max Sport holds broadcasting rights for a wide range of sports. These include motor racing properties like World Rally Championship, MotoGP and Nascar stock car racing series.
The broadcaster also covers ATP men's tennis tour, National Basketball League (NBL), European basketball's EuroLeague as well as athletics Diamond League. Volleyball tournaments organized by FIVB are also part of their coverage along with ice hockey's National Hockey League (NHL), American football's National Football League (NFL) and mixed martial arts promotion UFC.
This latest acquisition further cements Max Sport's position as a leading sports broadcaster in Bulgaria offering comprehensive coverage across multiple sporting disciplines.
