The streaming service offers subscribers live streams of men’s and women’s matches, as well as a raft of original series and documentaries.
FIFA has launched a new free-of-charge streaming service for all football fans to enjoy.
The service features live matches, archive footage, and exclusive original content ahead of the much-awaited 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The governing body hopes the platform will help increase the reach and following of their international and club competitions, the official stated.
“FIFA+ represents the next step in our vision to make football truly global and inclusive, and it underpins FIFA’s core mission of expanding and developing football globally,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“This project represents a cultural shift in the way different types of football fans want to connect with and explore the global game and has been a fundamental part of my Vision 2020-2023. It will accelerate the democratisation of football and we are delighted to share it with fans.”
What will be included?
On the new FIFA+, users are able to watch games from major leagues and little-seen competitions amounting to over 1,400 matches a month, football’s governing body revealed on Tuesday.
Several archived footages of past iconic World Cup moments are also available on the advertising-supported service, in addition to some exhilarating original content and documentaries.
Upon launch, FIFA+ Originals features Ronaldinho, Dani Alves, Ronaldo Nazário, Romelu Lukaku, Lucy Bronze, and Carli Lloyd, among others.
The exhilarating documentaries include Ronaldinho: The Happiest Man in the World, Captains: Season 1, Croatia: Defining a Nation, Dani Crazy Dream, and Golden Boot.
Not only that, but also over 40,000 live games a year from 100 member associations are also expected to be streamed, including 11,000 women’s matches.
However, competitions and leagues available will change over time to ensure a variation of content, a spokesman said.
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How does it work?
Just like Netflix and other streaming services, FIFA+ will be available on all web and all mobile devices.
No subscription or fee is required to use the service, but FIFA could later decide to add a paid tier if the service begins to offer “premium” matches.
“There is no plan to charge a subscription fee for the service, that doesn’t mean to say that we may not evolve over time should there be a value proposition that allows us to charge subscription if we step into premium rights or adopt other kind of models,” FIFA director of strategy Charlotte Burr said.
“But there will always be a free experience on FIFA+.”
Can I watch the 2022 World Cup?
Short answer: no. The new service will not replace local media agreements, which means it will not be streaming FIFA World Cup and Club World Cup due to TV rights.
However, users will be able to enjoy other cool content, including podcasts, news, and games. Football influencers will also be able to apply the ‘creator network’ feature to create content directly on the service.
The service is available in English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese. More languages can be added in the future.
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