May 24, 2025, 1:42 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Disney+ has struck a surprising deal. The streaming provider is entering the sports segment and will acquire the broadcasting rights for the UEFA Women’s Champions League starting with the 2025-26 season. This marks the company’s entry into European live soccer—including in Germany.
So far, Disney+ is mainly known for content from the extensive portfolio of The Walt Disney Company. Some of the most famous include Disney classics, the Marvel or Star Wars universe. But documentaries from National Geographic and numerous original productions are also part of it. In the future, the provider will add sports to these offerings. Starting in fall 2025, Disney+ will exclusively show all UEFA Women’s Champions League games on its platform across Europe.
Disney+ Expands Sports Offerings with UEFA Women’s Champions League
The move toward sports streaming is not entirely new for Disney+. In Scandinavian markets, the provider already broadcasts UEFA competitions such as the Europa League and Conference League. Additionally, Disney+ will broadcast games from the U.S. basketball league NBA in selected European countries starting in the 2025/26 season. However, it is still unclear whether Germany will be included. What is confirmed is the entry into women’s soccer.
As reported by “Digitalfernsehen,” the newly signed contract with UEFA rights holder UC3 runs until 2030. It replaces the previous rights holder DAZN, which has broadcast women’s soccer games for the past four years. Starting next season, all UEFA Women’s Champions League matches will be exclusively available on the streaming provider—at no extra cost for subscribers and across all of Europe, including Germany.
Production by ESPN
The live broadcasts and accompanying coverage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League will be handled by ESPN, a channel owned by Disney+. Planned are commentaries in multiple languages as well as comprehensive pre- and post-game reports. Additionally, agreements have been made with public broadcasters in major TV markets like Germany to show at least one game per week on free-to-air television.
The tournament itself will be held in a league format with 18 teams starting the new season. The final match will also be available for free on TV.
Some Questions Remain Unanswered
For fans in Germany, the change in rights means an adjustment: While the matches were previously on DAZN, the broadcast now switches to Disney+. Confirmed for the upcoming season are champions Bayern Munich and runners-up VfL Wolfsburg. Eintracht Frankfurt still has a chance to secure a spot through qualification.
With the acquisition of UEFA rights and those of the NBA, Disney+ is increasingly positioning itself as a sports streamer in Germany. Whether the offering will be expanded beyond Europe is still open. TECHBOOK has inquired with Disney+ about this.
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More Focus on Women’s Sports and Youth Development
Disney emphasizes that entering women’s soccer is part of a broader strategy. Since 2020, the company has been involved in youth development with the UEFA Playmakers Initiative. More than 132,000 girls aged five to eight have participated in this project so far.
The rights holder UC3 calls it a “milestone” for women’s soccer. Guy-Laurent Epstein, co-director of UC3, highlights the global interest and increased quality: “These new broadcast agreements not only reflect this but are important milestones in the continuous development of women’s soccer in Europe.”