September 25, 2025
The sport of soccer — domestically and abroad — has become a go-to sport across multiple U.S. subscription streaming video platforms.
And now Walmart wants in on the action.
The retail behemoth Sept. 25 announced a partnership with Spain’s La Liga soccer league aimed at upping domestic interest in soccer ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Walmart is sponsoring the Oct. 26 and May 10, 2026, “El Classico” matches between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid with viewing parties slated in Houston, Texas.
The century-long soccer rivalry between two of the sport’s biggest teams, generates upwards of 650 million viewers across more than 180 countries, according to CNBC.
The matches, along with La Liga regular season matches, will be live-streamed across ESPN on Disney+ and linear television. The 2024-25 season reportedly generated 5.4 billion minutes viewed across TV networks and streaming services.
Earlier this year Walmart announced a separate partnership with Major League Soccer in the U.S.
“The [soccer] fanbase is generally younger and more culturally diverse, and that is an audience that’s really important to Walmart. It’s a big part of our growing customer base,” William White, chief marketing officer at Walmart said in a statement.
In addition to MLS soccer live-streaming on Apple TV+, European leagues, including UEFA and Campions League, routinely appear on Paramount+, Peacock, and ESPN+. The next two FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments (2027, 2031) will stream exclusively on Netflix in the U.S. and Canada.
“I’ve seen the fandom for the FIFA Women’s World Cup grow tremendously — from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019, and most recently, the incredible energy across Australia and New Zealand in 2023,” Bella Bajaria, chief content officer at Netflix, said in a statement last month.
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