The upcoming World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico in the summer of 2026, will be broadcast by Czech Television and the Nova group. The commercial station will offer dozens of live broadcasts and accompanying programmes. All matches will be available on free-to-air channels and at the same time in one place on the platform.
Of the total 104 matches, Nova and Czech Television will share 50 exclusive live broadcasts, with four matches being broadcast in shared mode. The main channel for the championship within the group will be Nova Action, which will once again become the key station for football broadcasts. The most attractive matches will also appear on the main TV Nova channel.
Česká televize stated that it had taken advantage of the sublicensing option and, in the new World Cup format with 104 matches, sold part of the broadcasting rights to the 2026 World Cup to the Nova group. ČT sport and ČT sport Plus will broadcast more than 50 matches from the World Cup, which takes place from 11 June to 19 July.
"I am glad that this agreement has been reached. It will allow us to make effective use of the funds entrusted to us and optimise the costs of television rights without compromising the quality and scope of our offer to viewers. Thanks to this, we will be able to mediate the Czech footprint in the world of sport in the long term and remain an active partner of Czech sport," said Hynek Chudárek, Director General of Czech Television.
According to Daniel Grunt, CEO of the group, the World Cup is one of the most watched sporting events ever. "We are delighted to be able to bring it to all Czech viewers this year, thereby strengthening our role as a key broadcaster of major sporting events. Together with Czech Television, we will offer complete coverage of the tournament in June and July, which traditionally brings great excitement and a unique atmosphere," he said.
Nova wants to reach a wider audience
Nova is targeting not only traditional sports fans, but also a wider audience for whom the championship is the social event of the summer. In addition to live broadcasts, it is preparing studios, expert commentary and analytical reviews. A team of commentators and experts will be involved in the broadcast, and there will also be reports directly from the venue.
Anna Lenerová, director of sports and pay-TV channel acquisitions, added that the tournament will follow on from the end of the club season and offer viewers another period of global sports content. "We are preparing extensive coverage, including live broadcasts, studio programmes, interviews and special themed content," she said.
The entire championship will also be available via the Oneplay platform, where viewers will find all matches in one place, including accompanying statistics and data. The offer also includes the ČT sport channel.
The tournament will take place from 11 June to 19 July 2026 at 16 stadiums in North America, with 48 teams participating for the first time.
Play-offs on ČT
Czech Television will broadcast more than 50 matches from the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. It will offer more than half of the most attractive matches, including studies, expert analyses, the views of leading football experts directly from the venue and input from the crews. Viewers will also receive an expanded information service on the increasingly popular digital platform ČT sport Plus.
As part of the cooperation, it is certain that both television stations will jointly broadcast the opening match, the final and, if the Czech national team advances from the play-offs, its matches as well. The Czech national team's first play-off match is against Ireland on 26 March, and the live broadcast, including studio coverage from Prague's Fortuna Arena, will be broadcast exclusively by ČT sport. The same applies to a possible second match against the winner of the Denmark/North Macedonia tie. Once again, there will be studio coverage with football experts.
According to ČT, cooperation on the Czech television market in broadcasting the 2026 World Cup fits into the long-term strategy of Czech Television, which aims to "use public funds responsibly while maintaining a wide and high-quality range of sports broadcasts for all viewers".
ČT will also broadcast the World Figure Skating Championships and the World Ice Hockey Championships
Česká televize remains a key broadcaster of major sporting events. This year, following the successful Winter Olympics, it will offer, for example, the World Figure Skating Championships at the end of March, for which Czech Television will provide complete production of the international signal, the World Ice Hockey Championships in May, the European Athletics Championships and the Tour de France. At the end of June, the largest multi-sport event for young athletes in Czechia, the Children and Youth Olympics, which will be held in Prague for the first time, will also receive extensive coverage.
Source: mediaguru.cz