The matches of the Women’s World Cup, which takes place in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20, can be seen on free-to-air television. The world football association Fifa has reached an agreement to this effect with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), a European broadcasting association to which ARD and FDP also belong. According to this agreement, all games can be seen on ARD and ZDF, as both broadcasters announced on Wednesday evening.
“I am very pleased that we can offer women’s football the stage that the players and the audience deserve this year,” said WDR director Tom Buhrow. “ARD and ZDF are still the right address for all fans of women’s football in Germany,” said ZDF director Norbert Himmler.
The negotiations had dragged on for months. Fifa boss Gianni Infantino complained that the prices for the broadcasting rights were too low and threatened to refuse the broadcasting rights in several European countries. On the other hand, critics accused Fifa of wanting to increase its income under the pretext of gender equality.