DistantNews
Support us
🇹🇼 Taiwan /Sports

2026 World Cup Expands to 48 Teams; ELTA TV Secures Taiwan Broadcast Rights

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • The 2026 FIFA World Cup will expand to 48 teams and feature 104 matches over 39 days, co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico.
  • ELTA TV secured the exclusive broadcasting rights in Taiwan for the fourth consecutive time, offering comprehensive coverage across multiple platforms.
  • The tournament will showcase a generational shift with stars like Messi and Ronaldo potentially playing their last World Cup alongside emerging talents like Mbappé and Haaland.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be the most expansive in history, featuring an unprecedented 48 teams competing across 104 matches over 39 days. Co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the tournament promises a grand spectacle of global football.

In Taiwan, ELTA TV has secured the exclusive broadcasting rights for the fourth consecutive time, ensuring fans can follow every moment of the competition. Through its platforms, including ELTA.tv, MOD, Hami Video, and select matches on Eastern Television and TTV, ELTA aims to provide comprehensive coverage. ELTA TV Chairman Chen Yi-chun highlighted the company's extensive experience in football broadcasting and its commitment to delivering a high-quality viewing experience for Taiwanese fans.

This year's World Cup is particularly noteworthy for marking a potential transition between footballing generations. Legendary figures such as Lionel Messi of Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal may be participating in their final World Cup campaigns. Simultaneously, a new wave of stars, including France's Kylian Mbappé, Norway's Erling Haaland, and Spain's Lamine Yamal, are poised to make their mark on the world stage, setting the stage for exciting generational clashes.

ELTA has long been deeply involved in football broadcasting, airing over thousands of hours of top-tier professional football matches annually, continuously accumulating professional broadcasting experience and service quality. We are honored that ELTA has once again received FIFA's recognition, not only broadcasting the FIFA World Cup™ for the fifth consecutive time but also being selected as the general agent for broadcast rights in Taiwan for four consecutive terms. We will invest the most complete broadcasting resources and the most professional production team, hoping that during the 39-day World Cup period, all Taiwanese fans can feel the passion and emotion brought by football and enjoy this biggest party on Earth together.

— Chen Yi-chunExpressing ELTA TV's commitment to broadcasting the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Taiwan.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog