Football Australia has confirmed that Paramount Australia, the parent company of Network 10 and Paramount+, will be the official broadcaster for the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos in Australia. This deal includes the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ hosted in Australia and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.
Over 100 international matches featuring the Matildas and Socceroos will be broadcast live, with at least 50 available on free-to-air TV.
Paramount has also secured exclusive rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™, in a partnership with IMG.
The agreement extends through 2028, encompassing all CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos friendly matches, AFC tournaments, and Australia Cup Finals. This deal, specifically with ING, also consolidates broadcasting rights under a single platform, ensuring extensive coverage across 96% of Australian households.
With the CommBank Young Matildas opener in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ kicking off on September 1st, 2024, fans will immediately benefit from this deal.
James Johnson, CEO of Football Australia, remarked: “This landmark agreement with Paramount Australia is a pivotal moment for Australian football. It brings unprecedented exposure to our national teams and provides fans with unparalleled access to the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos.
“Innovation is the cornerstone of our approach to sustaining and expanding the influence of Australian football. Reacquiring the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) National Team rights and securing the broadcast rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ are strategic moves designed to maximise control over our content, enhance fan accessibility, and unlock new revenue streams.
“These rights are integral to our strategy to secure a transformative broadcast deal that we anticipate will set new benchmarks in the valuation of football media rights in Australia. Bringing as much national team content as possible to a multi-platform partner was a key objective from a fan’s perspective, and we are thrilled to achieve this.
“We look forward to our continued partnership with Paramount Australia, a relationship that has been pivotal in delivering high-quality football matches to our fans. This ongoing collaboration will be crucial as we navigate future opportunities and challenges in the dynamic media landscape.
“We also extend our gratitude to the IMG team for their invaluable support in navigating this complex negotiation with all parties involved and our friends at FIFA and AFC for their tremendous support and collaboration,” concluded Mr. Johnson.
This agreement reinforces Paramount Australia’s commitment to Australian football, which boasts the highest participation rate of club sport in the country and is the leading organized sport for children under 14.
With exclusive coverage of the A-Leagues, Paramount has been involved in Australian football for many years and continue to provide football fans with local broadcasts.
“Australian football fans are the winners here,” said Beverley McGarvey, President of Network 10 and Paramount Australia’s Head of Streaming and Regional Lead.
“Never before have fans had such incredible access to the sport they love, ranging from the A-Leagues all the way through to premium international games broadcast on one free-to-air network and one of Australia’s fastest-growing streaming platforms.
“Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of the Paramount Australia agreement, which we see as an exciting extension of our coverage of the A-Leagues, is the opportunity for women’s football.
“All CommBank Matildas’ games at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 will be telecast by Network 10 on free-to-air television, as will all Matildas’ games in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™,” Ms. McGarvey said.
Fans can access the broadcasts via Network 10 and/or Paramount+ subscriptions, exactly like the A-Leagues coverage.
Exclusive behind-the-scenes content, interactive fan engagement opportunities, and social media initiatives will be part of this comprehensive coverage.
The full list of rights included in the agreement are:
- AFC Asian Qualifiers (FIFA World Cup 2026™ Asian Qualifiers Final Round)
5 Sep 24 – Australia v Bahrain on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
10 Sep 24 – Indonesia v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
10 Oct 24 – Australia v China PR on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
15 Oct 24 – Japan v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
14 Nov 24 – Australia v Saudi Arabia on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
19 Nov 24 – Bahrain v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
20 Mar 25 – Australia v Indonesia on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
25 Mar 25 – China PR v Australia exclusive on Paramount+.
5 Jun 25 – Australia v Japan on Network 10, 10 Play, and Paramount+.
10 Jun 25 – Saudi Arabia v Australia exclusive on Paramount+. - FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ (15 matches on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+).
- AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™ (six matches on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+).
- AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ (all matches exclusively on Paramount+).
- AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026™ and 2028™.
- All CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos International Friendlies 2025 to 2028 (15 CommBank Matildas Friendlies on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+ and 10 Subway Socceroos’ Friendlies on Network 10, all matches on Paramount+).
- Australia Cup Finals 2025 to 2028.
