When we at eCreation first read the headline we did a double take, as at first we hadn’t read that it was 2025 and missed the word ‘Club’.  

While it’s not the World Cup itself, this news certainly signifies a growing trend: streamers are increasingly taking over the world of sports broadcasting. DAZN's acquisition of the global streaming rights for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is another milestone in this shift.

If you are not a close follower of football, the FIFA Club World Cup is between the world's top clubs (not the national teams). It was originally started back in 2000, but struggled to take off due to financial difficulties, but has been a yearly fixture since 2005. Next year it will be held in the United States between 15 June and 13 July. DAZN will show all 63 matches during the expanded 32-team tournament, up from just 7. This expansion also marks the movement of the contest from yearly to a quadrennial (every four years) competition.

The competition was last held in 2023 when Manchester City won in Saudi Arabia. In 2023 the sports rights were held by more traditional players, such as Fox Sports in the US, TNT Sport in the UK and Sky Italia in Italy.

In the past Club World Cup has not been a big media event, but FIFA and DAZN are clearly hoping that the expanded format and reduced frequency will change all that.  

This is not the first time a major sporting event has found a home on a streaming platform. We have already seen giants like Amazon secure rights for the NBA and NFL, while Apple TV+ boasts Major League Baseball and Soccer. This trend underlines the changing landscape of how fans consume sports content.

We at eCreation wonder how this streaming takeover will affect the aspects of accessibility, viewership, and ultimately the future of sports broadcasting.