Wo Läuft die WM 2026 — Südkorea

JTBC’s deal marks the first time since 2002 that a single Korean broadcaster has held an exclusive World Cup package, ending two decades of pooled coverage across KBS, MBC and SBS. The $125 million price tag, paid directly to FIFA, makes Korea one of the highest per-capita rights markets in Asia and explains the move toward paid-only distribution. Naver Sports and CHZZK provide the streaming routes for cord-cutters, with JTBC retaining the linear-TV broadcast on JTBC, JTBC2 and JTBC3 Fox Sports.

South Korea qualified for an 11th consecutive World Cup and head to North America hoping to recreate the 2022 Round of 16 run that ended against Brazil. Korean kick-off times convert to early-morning and lunchtime slots in KST, so JTBC’s morning sports block will pull most matches. Expect every Taegeuk Warriors fixture to be carried live on the main JTBC linear channel with full studio shows, while group-stage matches not involving Korea may shift to JTBC2 or stream-only on CHZZK to optimize the main-network schedule.