Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is nearing a deal with FIFA, the global governing body for soccer, to stream a World Cup-like tournament, the New York Times reported.
Shares of the tech giant were up around 0.4% in mid-day trading on Monday.
The tournament will be played in the U.S. for the first time, the news outlet reported. The tournament, which will see the top soccer teams on the planet pitted against each other, was initially supposed to be held in China in 2021. It was scrapped because of the pandemic, however.
The tournament will be played between June 15 and July 13, 2025, FIFA said previously. By comparison, the traditional World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
The 2026 edition of World Cup marks the first time in the tournament’s history where 48 teams compete, up from 32 previously. This event will also be played in the U.S., along with Mexico and Canada.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.
The value of the deal is unknown but it may not approach the $4B that FIFA had initially sought, the news outlet added, citing people familiar with the matter. The tournament is expected to be streamed on Apple TV+, Apple’s streaming service. It is not yet known if the agreement will also have free-to-air rights.
In 2022, Apple signed a landmark 10-year $2.5B agreement to stream Major League Soccer on a global basis. That deal started in February 2023.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook most recently talked up the success of the company’s MLS deal on the company’s 2023 third-quarter earnings call.