Welcome to the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), the hub of broadcast operations for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ and a home away from home for Media Partners during the competition.
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is the one of a kind, being the first ever edition of the tournament to feature 104 matches, with 48 teams engaged to compete, marking the expansion of the event. It’s also the first edition of the tournament since its inaugural edition in 1930 to be hosted in three different host countries and 16 host cities.
With the action spread across three countries and 16 venues, the IBC has a key centralising role in ensuring delivery of live and non-live content to rights holders.
The International Broadcast Centre (IBC)
With the action spread across three countries and 16 venues, the International Broadcast Centre has a key centralising role in ensuring delivery of live and non-live content to Media Partners.
The Kay Bailey Hutchinson Center is host to the International Broadcast Centre; construction of the temporary structures started six months before the hub’s official opening and operational phase. Dismantling after the event will take place during two months.
Spaces at the IBC are divided between multilateral spaces, hosting FIFA and the HB services, such as live galleries or Football Technology and Innovation, and unilateral spaces, areas dedicated to broadcasters with an IBC technical and/or editorial presence.
While on the ground, the competition is more widespread than in previous editions, the International Broadcast Centre retains its main technical hub status: it is where the signals from the venues are ingested and re-distributed, where live content is edited, and where key refereeing activities are held.
As a technical hub, the building hosting the International Broadcast Centre must meet certain criteria to ensure its redundancy, such as power back-ups, reliable, industrially scaled HVAC, as well as enough space to host operations of world-class scale. These are complemented by additional technical installations designed and implemented by the Host Broadcaster’s architectural team, who are not only planning the floor plan of the International Broadcast Centre, but adapting it to the specific constraints of protecting the technology it hosts.
Temporary structures built are the IBC are done so with a sustainable philosophy in mind: about 90% of all material (partitions, electric and lights fixtures will be either recycled or reused, ensuring an eco-friendly construction operation.
IBC Tours
Scan the QR codes around the IBC to learn more about key aspects of the host broadcast project and how the teams operate to ensure the global delivery of world class broadcast signals and services.
The below map provides an overview of the Tour stops where QR codes are operational.
For physical tours, get in touch with xx to request a guided tour with one of our representatives.