Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon spoke at an event held at the PID conference room today. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, July 26, 2026 (BSS) – Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon today said the FIFA World Cup 2026 was successfully broadcast without spending any money from the government revenue.

“Our goal is not only to broadcast games for free in the next World Cup, but also to generate major profits for the government by tapping into the massive advertising market,” he said.

The Information Minister made the remarks at the 'FIFA World Cup 2026 Broadcast and Thanksgiving' event, held at the Press Information Department (PID) conference room here.

During the event, State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque presented formal floral greetings and letters of thanks to Information Minister Swapon and State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury on behalf of his ministry.

Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Md Shah Alam and Principal Information Officer Syed Abdal Ahmed were also present.

Swapon credited the zero-revenue expenditure to the strategic guidance, honesty, and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. 

He noted that the Prime Minister explicitly instructed that football fans should not be deprived of watching the tournament, despite the government’s ongoing austerity policies.

This major milestone was achieved by building an alternative structural framework as per the Prime Minister's directives, the minister said, adding, “Therefore, this achievement belongs to the Prime Minister.”

The information minister expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for the successful completion of the broadcast programme. 

He also thanked the State Minister for Youth and Sports, the State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, the Prime Minister's Adviser on Information and Broadcasting, the Director General of Bangladesh Television, the Bangladesh Football Federation, and other stakeholders.

Commenting on the positive shift in the country's sports sector, Swapon said, "Over the past few months, unprecedented enthusiasm has built up across the sports arena under the leadership of our State Minister for Youth and Sports, who is himself a former star player."

He emphasised that engaging the youth in healthy entertainment and sports is crucial to building a drug-free society, fostering healthy minds, and developing skilled manpower for the future. 

He added that the incumbent government is actively working to transform sports from a hobby into a respectable profession.
Outlining future broadcasting plans, he said, "This time, we cleared the hurdle of broadcasting a global sports event at zero cost. For the next World Cup, we will look beyond just zero-cost broadcasting; our goal is to turn it into a highly profitable event through strategic advertising revenue."