AFC renews broadcast deal with Sport 24 until 2028

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the renewal of its media rights agreement with Sport 24, the dedicated live sports channel for the airline and cruise markets, through to 2028.

The partnership will see Sport 24 broadcast the AFC’s competitions on airlines and cruise ships around the world, including the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to 26™, the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™, AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™, as well as the AFC Champions League Elite™ for the 2025/26, 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29 seasons.

Datuk Seri Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said: “The AFC is delighted to extend its partnership with Sport 24, which will showcase not only the ever-improving quality of the AFC’s competitions but also expand the reach of Asian football to more audiences.

“We thank Sport 24 for their steadfast belief in the AFC’s world-class competitions and we are excited to strengthen our partnership with them as we strive to create more memorable moments for our passionate fans and travellers all across the world.”

Richard Wise, SVP Content and Channels at IMG, added: “Football is at the heart of Sport 24’s vast portfolio of live sports, which we deliver to international passengers across airlines and cruise ships throughout the year. We’re delighted to extend our partnership with the AFC to bring its world-class competitions to our global audiences for the next five years.”

Sport 24 is owned and operated by the industry-leading global sports marketing agency, IMG. It can be viewed on more than 600 aircrafts and over 120 cruise ships, which include Etihad Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, MSC Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises and more. Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra are produced from IMG’s production headquarters at Stockley Park, near London’s Heathrow Airport. Sport 24 also shows live action from Formula One, NBA, NFL (inflight only), golf’s majors, tennis’ grand slams, cricket tournaments and more.

The deal marks the latest addition to Sport 24’s extensive live football coverage, which includes the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Patrick Murphy, CEO of AFG, said: “We are dedicated to working along with the AFC in achieving their goal of elevating Asian football and making it accessible to fans globally. The partnership with Sport 24 brings us closer to realising this goal by making Asian football competitions available to fans everywhere, including in the skies and across the seas.”