The legendary Liverpool F.C. manager Bill Shankly, famously said: “Some people think football is a matter of life and death but I can assure them it is much more serious than that!” Now, as football (soccer) fans worldwide pull on their team colours and fly their flags in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup 2026 kick off, airlines have their IFEC squads warming up inflight footie coverage with a similar level of Shankly seriousness.

With 48 teams facing off in 104 fixtures through June and July there is plenty for the crowds to cheer about, and watching in flight has a unique appeal according to Kimberly de Flesco, Head of Aviation Strategy at DIRECTV IN FLIGHT.

She believes live TV – particularly sports – has become a defining aspect of the inflight entertainment experience and says: “If you’ve never been on a flight during a major sporting event, it’s quite a fun, communal experience to have so many people watching the same game on their seatbacks or personal devices at the same time. Passengers tell us that seeing others on the flight watching a live TV programme like sports makes them more likely to want to tune in as well.”

Going for goal

And airlines which invest in live coverage could be shooting right on target when you consider FIFA stats which estimate the sport currently has five billion fans worldwide. The Harris Poll also indicates that 72% of Americans are now interested in soccer – a rise of 17% since 2020. 

Ready to tackle the coverage challenge, FOX Sports will be America’s exclusive English-language home for the tournament, and will broadcast an unprecedented 69 matches live on the Fox broadcast network and FS1, both of which are available inflight through DIRECTV.

Net gains

Richard Wise, SVP – Content and Channels at IMG, shares the growing excitement. He chips in: “The FIFA World Cup 2026 is one of the biggest stages in world sport, and we know there’s a huge demand from passengers to watch the tournament live onboard. More than 1.4 million passengers tuned in to watch our inflight coverage of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra, generating over five million total views and making it our most-watched event to date.”

IMG will be showing every FIFA World Cup 2026 game live on its channels and holds exclusive live international inflight rights to more than 40 leagues and competitions. 

Wise insists major sporting events are a winner for airlines: “Feedback from Sport 24’s airline partners has shown that live sport has a big impact on the inflight passenger experience through its ability to create viral moments. We often see videos of fans celebrating goals onboard, generating millions of views on social media – and the FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to be the biggest yet, with more games being held across more host cities, creating more touchpoints with fans than ever before.”

Team talk

The IMG team regularly innovates live coverage to passengers to elevate the inflight experience. “We recently launched a next-generation inflight sports streaming experience that enables passengers to watch Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra via a dedicated web player on their personal electronic devices. We want to meet sport fans on the platforms of their choosing, and keep them connected to the live sport they consume on the ground,” adds Wise.  

The ongoing delivery shift, from Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) technology to internet-based IPTV, which uses the aircraft’s onboard Wi-Fi to stream live programming, also gives passengers the option to watch on seatback screens and/or personal electronic devices.

de Flesco throws in: “This new technology also allows commercial and private aircraft without seatback screens to offer live inflight TV with DIRECTV on personal devices.” 

Staying onside

She concludes: “The future of inflight entertainment is being shaped by the demand for live, real-time engagement – today’s passengers are definitely no longer content with static, pre-recorded entertainment.This gives airlines a unique opportunity to enhance the passenger experience and differentiate themselves but getting the technology right is paramount.”

Game on!