On Wednesday, The Edge Malaysia also reported that pay-TV operator Astro was not able to secure local rights to the tournament.
Astro had been the Malaysian “home” of the tournament for the last 20 years, it said.
The broadcaster said it had made a “fair and competitive bid” for the broadcasting rights, but it was not accepted by football’s governing body FIFA, The Edge Malaysia reported.
Astro added that rising costs, piracy and a lack of commercial value due to match timings and a short runway ahead of the tournament had contributed to its bid being unsuccessful.
The Edge Malaysia said that Astro is now in talks with RTM and Unifi TV to “explore opportunities” to carry tournament matches on its platforms.
The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will take place from Jun 11 to Jul 19.
It will be the first World Cup to feature 48 participating teams, including defending champions Argentina, and will have 40 more matches than the previous edition of the tournament.
