The world of women’s international soccer is about to take a big step toward next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand: On Saturday, we’ll learn the draw for the tournament — which teams will play each other in the first stage.
The popularity of women’s soccer is booming. This year’s European championship, for instance, drew around 365 million viewers around the world — more than twice as many as watched the 2017 edition.
But broadcasters are lowballing their bids for the right to air the games, according to the World Cup’s organizing body, FIFA. The federation told broadcasters this week that they’re going to have to increase the offers they’ve been making.
FIFA asking broadcasters to pay more money for anything shouldn’t surprise anyone, said Tom Bassam, a news editor at London-based sports media company…
