North Korea accused of illegally broadcasting 2026 FIFA World Cup matches
North Korea is facing renewed allegations that its state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV) aired 2026 FIFA World Cup matches without securing broadcast rights.
Media outlet Alerta Mundial's account on X, formerly Twitter, said Wednesday that footage from the broadcast appeared to show country names with North Korean spelling, including Ivory Coast, Sweden and Tunisia. The video included a caption identifying the game as a World Cup group-stage match.
The account said KCTV appears to be using foreign satellite feeds from neighboring countries such as China because Pyongyang lacks official permission from FIFA, football's governing body.
The broadcasts could raise copyright infringement concerns if KCTV aired the matches without permission from rights holders. North Korea has a history of similar controversies, facing accusations of unauthorized broadcasts during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and UEFA Champions League matches. In July 2023, FIFA issued warnings after confirming unauthorized broadcasts of the Women's World Cup inside North Korea.
The current allegations follow the breakdown of previous broadcast-sharing agreements. Historically, South Korean networks like KBS secured broadcast rights deals for the entire Korean Peninsula and ceded the rights for North Korea to FIFA on humanitarian grounds. This allowed North Korea to broadcast edited, delayed matches. The South Korean government said that no unified contract was established for the 2026 tournament.
Alerta Mundial also highlighted a stark contrast on the strictly controlled state broadcaster, saying that KCTV aired unedited U.S. commercials for Coca-Cola and McDonald's.
Edited using generative AI tools.
Source :https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260619/north-korea-accused-of-illegally-broadcasting-2026-fifa-world-cup-matches |
