Disney+ Gains Exclusive UEFA Women's Champions League Rights

Disney+ has signed an exclusive five-year deal to stream all 75 matches of the UEFA Women’s Champions League across Europe starting with the 2025-26 season, marking a major expansion into live sports. ESPN, Disney’s sports brand, will produce every match with multilingual commentary and in-depth pre- and post-match coverage. The agreement, made with UC3—a joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association—underscores the growing commercial value of women’s football. Disney+ will provide some free-to-air coverage in the UK, but the increasing number of broadcasters has prompted concerns about subscription costs and fragmented fan access. This deal coincides with the tournament's expanded league format and follows Netflix’s acquisition of U.S. rights to future Women’s World Cups. The announcement comes ahead of the 2024-25 Women’s Champions League final between Arsenal and Barcelona.