beIN Sports secures MENA rights package for AFC competitions under 10-year deal

October 6 - The AFC and beIN Media Group have reached a major broadcast deal for the next 10 years, giving the broadcaster exclusive access to all AFC competitions until 2032.

The deal is significant not only because of its 10-year term, which helps sustain AFC competitions in the long term, but also because it draws a line with previous issues BeIN Sports had with the AFC regarding broadcast piracy in the region. .

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, IR Iran and Iraq are excluded from the agreement for the MEBA region. beIN's exclusive territories are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. beIN SPORTS will also have non-exclusive broadcast rights in Chad, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia and Sudan.

beIN Media Group CEO, Yousef Al-Obaidly, said: "This is an extremely important agreement for beIN and our company, which shows our full commitment to both premium rights and The 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar later this year is just the beginning of our plans at beIN, and this deal is just proof of that."

AFC started with beIN as a rights holder in the region in 2012. The new agreement will extend this relationship to 20 years.

The deal starts immediately and covers the remaining remaining matches of the 2022 AFC Champions League and 2022 AFC Cup.

AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John said: "This long-term agreement underscores not only the ever-growing stature of the AFC's world-class competitions, but also the confidence top broadcasters have in the future of Asian football; and for decades, beIN has simply been best in class in this region.

“The MENA region is home to some of the most ardent supporters of Asian football and we are delighted to be able to grow the consumption of AFC football with the hundreds of millions of passionate fans in the MENA region.”

No value was given for the offer.

Rights covered include: AFC Asian Qualifiers – 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Final Round, 2030 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers Final Round including play-offs; AFC Asian Cup Finals (one competition during each cycle); AFC Women's Asian Cup Finals (one competition during each cycle); AFC U23 Asian Cup Finals 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2032 (two competitions in each cycle); AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (final round) for Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032; AFC Asian Under-20 Cup Finals (one competition per cycle); AFC U17 Asian Cup Finals (one competition per cycle); AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup Finals (two competitions in each cycle); AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup Finals (two competitions in each cycle); AFC Asian Futsal Cup Finals (two competitions in each cycle); AFC Solidarity Cup (year(s) to be confirmed); AFC Champions League - group stage, knockout stage and finals (annually during each cycle); AFC Cup – group stage, knockout stage and finals (annually during each cycle); AFC Futsal Club Championship Finals (annually during each cycle).

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