Published: 15 March 2018
Last updated: 4 March 2024
Though Egypt qualified for the tournament, along with Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, the country did not purchase the rights to broadcast the games. In previous years, viewers had to purchase a subscription to the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera network to watch the games.
This year Egyptians, Jordanians and others in the region will be able to watch an Arabic satellite transmission free of charge via Israel’s national broadcaster, Kan.
When it was announced on Egyptian television, several critics were angry that Israel would broadcast to a large Arab population, with one television host suggesting that Israel may use the broadcasts to send other messages to the country. But many soccer fans were looking forward to watching the games, leaving messages on social media praising Israel for the move.
FULL STORY Israel to broadcast soccer World Cup to Arab nations for free (Times of Israel)
Photo: Egyptian fans celebrate after beating Congo during the 2018 World Cup qualifier at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria last October (AP/Nariman El-Mofty)
