Just weeks from the start of the 2026 World Cup ,  India  is without a broadcasting deal. Talks are reportedly ongoing, with time zones and cost expectations clear stumbling blocks, but there is also a feeling that FIFA has misunderstood its two biggest markets. "The Indian market is a sort of a brute force market," Nandan Kamath, one of India's leading sports lawyers and a key figure in the country's sports policy, told DW. "It's the numbers rather than the willingness." Broadcasters in India rely far more on advertising revenue than subscriptions. Viewing numbers for the tournament in Qatar were good, but they did not lead to a profit for Viacom18, the Indian media giant who owned the rights. On top of that, the premium subscriber base for most services is just too small to generate a major profit. In order for FIFA to reach the scale it wants, it will likely have to reduce its expectations.…