Disney+ have reportedly agreed to a deal with UEFA to broadcast the Women's Champions League from next season.
The five-year agreement will see the platform provide live coverage of every game in the competition, broadcasting to audiences across Europe and the United Kingdom. They follow in the footsteps of streaming giant Netflix, who acquired U.S. rights to both the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women's World Cups.
The news not only marks a new era for women's football off the pitch but also coincides with one on it too — arriving as the UWCL enters its first season under a new format. From 2025/26, the competition will adopt the new format seen in the men's competition, beginning with an 18-team league phase.
This isn't the first time Disney+ have streamed women's football content, having produced the six-part original series 'Matildas: The World at Our Feet' in 2023, which went behind the scenes of the Australian women's national team during their World Cup campaign on home soil.
Disney will take over from DAZN, who enter the closing stages of their four-year deal as global rights holder, a landmark agreement at the time. It has been said that during their UEFA partnership as the official broadcaster, watch time for the competition has increased by 71%.
It's also been reported that Disney have promised to transform the competition's coverage, with reports suggesting representatives from clubs have been involved in talks throughout, as part of UEFA's ongoing joint venture with the European Club Association.
But despite being a positive step for the European game as a whole, it does arrive with some unanswered questions — notably surrounding cost. While DAZN provided full free-to-air coverage, it's understood that this won't be the same with this deal — with Disney now also being the sixth major broadcaster of women's football in England.
The 2025/26 UEFA Women's Champions League qualifiers will begin on June 24, with the official league phase starting on October 7.