It will be the most televised World Cup in Argentine history. For the first time, Telefe, Public TV, ESPN, TyC Sports and DSports will coexist simultaneously in a fierce competition for the audience of a World Cup that, between June 11 and July 19, will offer 104 matches divided between the United States, Mexico and Canada.
On that board, the big bet of open TV will be Telefe. After sixteen years, Martínez’s channel is once again playing strongly in a World Cup with 32 live matches, including the debut of the Argentine team and the final. The central duo will be made up of Juan Pablo Varsky and Pablo Giraltaccompanied from the playing field by Sofía Martínez. The signal prepares transversal coverage: permanent mobiles, special programs and a World Cup presence in all daily programming.
On cable, the most intense battle will once again be fought between ESPN and TyC Sports. Disney’s sports channel arrives for the first time with its own rights and a record investment that exceeds seven figures in dollars. It will broadcast 30 matches through Disney+ Premiumincluding decisive direct elimination matches and matches of the Argentine team. The operation includes more than seventy people displaced to North America and a staff of figures headed by Mariano Closs and Diego Latorre.
TyC Sportson the other hand, will arrive at the World Cup going through business turbulence. The signal recently confirmed its presence after an extensive renegotiation between Grupo Clarín, Torneos and the AFA, amid tensions derived from promotion rights and the shareholding reconfiguration of the sports business. Although logistical uncertainties still persist, the channel would maintain a schedule close to 50 games, with Hernán Feler, Ariel Senosiain and Gastón Edul in charge of Argentina’s broadcasts. The structure contemplated thirty envoys, although budgetary restrictions would drastically reduce that number and would force some meetings to be recounted from Buenos Aires, with the voice of Cristian Garófalothe most important face of the signal from the country.
The only screen that will offer the full 104 matches will be DSports. The Werthein Group signal prepares continental coverage with more than eighty professionals deployed between the three headquarters and permanent programming distributed between DSports, DSports2 and DSports+. There they will coexist Sergio Goycochea, Gustavo Kuffner and the historic Enrique Macaya Márquezwho at 91 years old will reach his eighteenth World Cup. The signal will also bet on an unprecedented expansion through its agreement with Paramount+, seeking to exit the satellite niche and expand its reach in Argentine homes.
The participation of the Public TV. By decision of the national government, the state channel will broadcast only ten matches, including all of the national team’s matches, through a direct retransmission of the signal produced by DSports. The agreement between the AFA, Torneos and the State was crossed by the adjustment policy promoted by the libertarian administration, which avoided repeating the million-dollar structures of Brazil 2014 or Qatar 2022. The operation contemplates between twelve and fifteen envoys and minimal coverage, sustained under the official argument that the investment will be financed exclusively with private advertising. Among the confirmed figures appear Alejandra Martínez, Greta Rodríguez and Jonás Gutiérrez.
Behind the scenes, Argentine television is undergoing a silent transformation. The 2026 World Cup will not only be a football competition, but also a test of survival for an audiovisual system forced to coexist with platforms, streaming, networks and fragmented consumption. Therefore, regardless of who lifts the Cup in New Jersey, the networks know that the real game will be played in front of an audience that no longer watches football in a single way.
