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Future Fifa Women’s World Cup games featuring the Australian national women’s soccer team have been added to the country’s anti-siphoning list, making it more likely fans can watch the Matildas on free-to-air (FTA) television.
Confirmed:
- The anti-siphoning list gives FTA broadcasters the first opportunity to bid for a sports property’s rights before allowing pay-TV networks to make a subsequent offer
- The list has been amended to include every Fifa Women’s World Cup match involving the Matildas
- The World Cup finals and home qualification games for both the men’s and women’s tournaments that involve Australia have also been added
Context:
The Matildas’ success during this year’s World Cup sparked huge nationwide interest, with their semifinal against England becoming the most-watched TV broadcast of any genre since the OzTam measurement system was introduced in 2001.
The Australian government is currently moving forward with its review of the anti-siphoning list, which it said ‘needs to be modernised to incorporate online services and mitigate the risk of events slipping behind paywalls’. The review also found that the list needed to be reconfigured in order to include more women’s sports and parasports events.
Comment:
“[The Matildas] inspired a whole new generation of Australian kids to take up soccer, boosting grassroots sports participation, while setting a number of viewership records as Australians tuned in and cheered our team on,” said Michelle Rowland, Australia’s minister for communications.
“Every Australian deserves the chance to enjoy live and free coverage of these events, no matter where they live or what they earn.”
Coming next:
The updates to the anti-siphoning list come just four days before Fifa’s deadline for Australian broadcasters to bid for the rights to the 2026 men’s World Cup and the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
