ESPN Secures Exclusive Rights for UEFA Women's Champions League and NWSL Expansion: A Game-Changing Move for Women's Soccer
ESPN has secured a significant deal for women's soccer by acquiring exclusive multimedia rights for the UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) for the 2025/26 through 2029/30 seasons. This agreement will see ESPN broadcasting all 75 matches each season, along with draws, highlights, magazine shows, and archive programming. The coverage will be available in various regions, including the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, and Sub-Saharan Africa, with a mix of streaming on ESPN on Disney+, linear channels, and the ESPN app.
The UWCL has introduced a new 18-team League Phase for the 2025-26 season, with top European clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, PSG, Lyon, Bayern, Juventus, Real Madrid, and others competing on a bigger stage. This move aims to make the competition more globally visible and accessible to fans across different devices and time zones, providing more high-level action for viewers to enjoy.
ESPN's Senior Vice President, Tim Bunnell, emphasized the significance of the agreement, highlighting the UEFA Women's Champions League as a prestigious competition with unmatched global reach. The network's commitment to expanding its portfolio of women's sports and delivering compelling sporting events to global audiences is evident in this partnership.
In addition to the UWCL deal, ESPN is expanding its domestic women's soccer coverage by adding 16 regular-season NWSL games per year on ABC and ESPN for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. This expansion nearly doubles the league's presence on Disney platforms and introduces an NWSL "Match of the Week" and full Decision Day coverage, increasing the total number of NWSL matches on Disney platforms from 17 to 33 per season.
The collaboration between ESPN and the UEFA Women's Champions League aims to grow the competition globally and bring it to millions of fans across key international markets. This partnership reinforces the commitment to expanding the global reach and impact of women's football, creating year-round storylines and more exposure for women's soccer.
With the new format of the UWCL, ESPN's distribution capabilities, and the NWSL expansion, women's soccer fans can look forward to more live games, smarter scheduling, and bigger narratives across continents. The increased visibility of women's athletics through highlights and matches being showcased will help push women's sports into the mainstream and provide more opportunities for players to be seen and celebrated.