October 7 – The restructured 2025/26 UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) reaches the League Phase with a plethora of major broadcast deals penned by Europe’s governing body.
The tournament now features 18 teams in an extended league phase – two more than the previous group format – with each club playing six matches against different opponents, three home and three away, mirroring the alteration made to the men’s competition last season.
The top four sides advance directly to the quarter-finals, while teams ranked fifth to 12th will contest play-offs for the remaining knockout places.
UEFA says the new format, developed in collaboration with the European Club Association (ECA), is designed to sustain competitive balance while offering greater exposure to more clubs and markets. It also comes amid record levels of commercial interest in the women’s game, with several long-term sponsorship renewals and new global partners joining the competition.
In Europe, Disney+ will stream all 75 matches live per season, marking the first time every fixture will be available on a single platform. Free-to-air coverage of one match each week will be available in 30 territories through agreements with the European Broadcasting Union and national broadcasters.
Internationally, CBS will hold English-language rights in the U.S., ESPN will carry the tournament in Latin America, Oceania and Sub-Saharan Africa, and beIN Media Group will broadcast across the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia.
On the commercial side, PepsiCo and Amazon have extended their partnerships through 2030, joined by new entrant Vodafone, with UEFA hinting at additional partners to come.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Co-Managing Director of UC3 – the joint ECA and UEFA commercial venture, said: “This season marks a major milestone for the UEFA Women’s Champions League. With a bold new format and an unprecedented global broadcast and commercial footprint, we are taking the competition to new heights. Through our partnerships with leading media rights and commercial partners, we are ensuring that more fans than ever can experience the very best of women’s club football, wherever they are in the world.”
Charlie Marshall, UC3 Co-Managing Director, added: “The exciting new dawn will provide access to the UEFA Women’s Champions League to more clubs and deliver more continental rivalry that we know fans enjoy and want to see. It is a landmark moment for the competition and for women’s football more broadly.
“Alongside the enhanced new format, we have delivered unprecedented global broadcast reach which will raise the visibility of clubs and their players on the biggest stage. We are proud to have delivered a competition and a platform that empowers clubs, engages fans worldwide, and sets a new benchmark for the future of women’s football.”
Nadine Kessler, UEFA Women’s Football Director, finished: “The UEFA Women’s Champions League is entering a transformative new chapter, one that reflects the incredible momentum behind the women’s game.
“With a new format designed to deliver more competitive matches and a truly global commercial footprint, we are not only elevating the sporting experience but also expanding the reach and impact of women’s club football as we continue to develop the game and inspire the next generation of players and fans worldwide.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at [email protected]