According to multiple sources familiar with the negotiations, Xiaohongshu has secured sublicensing rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in China from state broadcaster China Media Group, including live-streaming rights and rights for short-video secondary content creation.
The move marks a major shift in China’s sports media landscape. During the previous World Cup cycle, Douyin — the Chinese version of TikTok — was one of the tournament’s primary digital distribution partners. However, sources say the platform appears to have stepped away from bidding for the upcoming tournament rights this time around.
Earlier, China Media Group reached an agreement with FIFA after months of negotiations to secure broadcasting rights for the next two FIFA World Cups. Neither CMG nor FIFA has publicly disclosed the financial details of the deal. [Zaker, in Chinese]