The clock is ticking but nothing is happening on the issue of broadcasting rights for the Women’s World Cup, scheduled to take place from July 20 to August 20, 2023 in Australia and New Zealand. With less than two months to go, several European countries, including France, still have no broadcaster for the tournament. A situation denounced last month by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. On Wednesday May 31, five European ministers issued a joint statement in an attempt to “find a rapid solution“, so that the global tournament can be offered to the general public. “In view of the great potential of this competition and the sporting and societal stakes involved, we consider it our duty to fully mobilize all the parties involved so that they can rapidly find an arrangement“, plead the French, German, Italian, Spanish and British sports ministers. In their joint declaration, published in Paris, they acknowledge that broadcasters do not always have a free hand, being forced to find “viable economic models“. They also concede that the “specific organizational constraints” of this first World Cup in Oceania, namely the scheduling of matches in Europe, may affect the value of the rights market for broadcasters. French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said on France Télévisions on Wednesday that “FIFA will probably have to be less greedy and remember that there are obstacles linked to timing.”
