Record viewership for the UEFA Women’s Champions League driven by expanded media distribution and new competition format

—Just six matchdays into the season, the UEFA Women’s Champions League’s new league phase has delivered an unprecedented uplift in live viewership.

—- UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) that controls and manages the strategic marketing, sales and delivery of commercial rights for UEFA club competitions, is proud to announce that the new UEFA Women’s Champions League (UWCL) league phase has generated a remarkable 164% increase in live viewership across the first six matchdays.

Underpinning this unprecedented shift is a series of groundbreaking global media rights agreements secured by UC3 to broadcast Europe’s elite women’s club competition across 207 territories, with 44 broadcast partners showing live matches throughout the season. In Europe, Disney+ and an extensive network of free-to-air broadcasters are bringing the UWCL to larger audiences than ever before.

Broadcasters contributing to this significant uplift during the league phase include the BBC (UK), L’Équipe (France), TV4 (Sweden), 3Cat (Spain), Mega (Greece) and multiple European Broadcasting Union members, including RTP (Portugal), NRK and TV2 (Norway), NOS (Netherlands), ORF (Austria), RTBF and VRT (Belgium), ČT (Czechia) and TRT (Türkiye).

Outside of Europe, coverage from CBS (USA, English-language), ESPN (USA Spanish-language, Central and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania), TVC Deportes (Mexico), Sporty TV (Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya), beIN SPORTS (MENA and Southeast Asia), FanCode (India) and Shinai Sports (China) has further extended the global reach of the competition.

The UWCL league phase has attracted 2.6 times more live viewers than last season at the same stage. Across the 54 matches played, the average live audience increased by 135% year on year.

Fan engagement has also extended well beyond the live broadcast. Across social platforms, total interactions reached 774 million, an 84% increase on last season, highlighting the UWCL’s rapidly growing digital footprint.

The 2025/26 season is proving to be the most competitive yet. The introduction of the new format has increased drama and intensity on the pitch, with 54% of matches drawn or decided by a single goal, compared to 27% at the same stage of the 2024/25 season. Matches have also been more open, with both teams scoring in 54% of games, up from 38% last season.

To better showcase the quality of play, production standards have been significantly upgraded. Every match now features a minimum of six cameras, increasing to eight from the quarter-finals and up to 14 cameras for the final, delivering a more immersive viewing experience.

Media partners have also expanded their editorial commitment to the competition. Disney+, the home of the UWCL in Europe, is delivering coverage in 11 languages, with on-pitch presentation at every match. Its innovative conference programme, presented by Alex Scott alongside Fara Williams, Lianne Sanderson and Nedum Onuoha, covered all nine fixtures on the final league phase matchday and engaged football fans across Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania.

In the United States, CBS elevated UWCL coverage with extensive, expert-led programming throughout the league phase. This culminated on Matchday 5 with the first-ever UEFA Champions League and UEFA Women’s Champions League crossover show, combining UCL Today and UWCL Today talent, including Kate Scott, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, Hannah Cash, Kelley O’Hara and Jen Beattie.

Following the league phase, Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, Chelsea and Bayern München have qualified directly for the quarter-finals. The knockout play-offs will take place on 11–12 February and 18–19 February, featuring Atlético Madrid vs Manchester United, Paris FC vs Real Madrid, OH Leuven vs Arsenal and Wolfsburg vs Juventus.

The final will be played at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway, on Saturday 23 May 2026.

About UC3
UC3 unites European football’s governing body UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC), representing more than 800 top European clubs, around a new vision for managing commercial rights to UEFA’s Club Competitions (the “UCCs”).  It is the company responsible for exclusively managing all commercial aspects of the UCCs and creating value for our partners. UC3 oversees the management, sales and delivery of all commercial rights (including media, sponsorship and licensing rights) for UEFA’s elite men’s and women’s club competitions.

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