The new UEFA Women’s Champions League will bring fans all over the world closer to the action than ever before. Today, UEFA announces a first-ever four-year global broadcasting partnership with sports streaming platform DAZN, together with YouTube, that will bring an unprecedented level of exposure to women’s football.
Starting from the 2021/22 season, the new partnership will bring the best players in the world to a global audience, with every game throughout the campaign available to view live online. It follows UEFA’s decision to create a new format for the Women’s Champions League, featuring a 16-team group stage, with centralised media and sponsorship rights leading to a significant increase of revenues. This has built the foundation for the recently announced pioneering financial distribution model through which €24 million will be spread throughout women’s football across Europe, strengthening the future for the sport.
UEFA President Aleksander ÄŒeferin
“Two years ago when we launched UEFA’s first ever women’s football strategy, ‘Time for Action’, we promised action that will lead to a greater, more professional and more prosperous game by 2024. Several initiatives have since followed and this summer is a giant leap in that direction.
“We are delighted to announce the start of a four-year global partnership with DAZN and YouTube. For the first two seasons fans around the world can access and watch for free all matches enabling fans to follow the competition and the very best players in the world. There is no better way to inspire future generations of young girls and boys to play football. Women’s football is here to stay and will only grow stronger.”
All 61 matches available for free in the first two seasons
For the first two seasons (2021-23), fans will be able to watch live and on demand all 61 matches from the group stage onwards on DAZN and free on DAZN’s YouTube channel. For the following two seasons (2023-25), all 61 matches will be live on DAZN while 19 matches will be made available for free on DAZN’s YouTube channel.
The multi-year deal grants DAZN exclusive rights worldwide, with the exception of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) – where rights do include clips and highlights – and China and its territories.* The agreement is one of the largest broadcast deals in women’s club football history and signifies another game-changing move in UEFA’s and its partners global commitment to women’s sport, centered on the mission of growing the UEFA Women’s Champions League, turning more players and teams into household names, and inspiring the next generation of players – all of which starts with more people around the world watching the game.
DAZN has released a campaign film today entitled ‘We All Rise With More Eyes’ – the debut content on its new UEFA Women’s Champions League YouTube channel, directed by multi-award winner Alyssa Boni and voiced over by UK rapper FLOHIO.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director
“We are delighted to have found such innovative partners in DAZN and YouTube, who will give fans worldwide the opportunity to get consistently free-to-air access to the world’s best women’s club football competition. It’s exactly what we wished for when we decided to centralise the media rights and revamp the competition format. Ultimately it was an easy decision for UEFA to make, as DAZN and YouTube had the most compelling bid, complemented by the vast promotional opportunities that this partnership can bring for the competition and women’s football in general.”
Nadine Kessler, UEFA Chief of Women’s Football
“This deal is a first for women’s football as this partnership between UEFA and DAZN and YouTube will make sure that the UEFA Women’s Champions League can be seen by the fans, by all the people who love this game, wherever they are on the globe. Such visibility changes everything, as the best female players and best women’s teams in the world can inspire more young girls and boys to fall in love with this sport. Together we are all bringing women’s football to the world and everyone who will tune in will truly make a difference to something bigger.”
James Rushton, Co-CEO, DAZN Group
“We are thrilled to be the new global broadcaster for UEFA Women’s Champions League and cannot wait to work with YouTube and Google to bring fans closer to the game and shine a brighter light on its stars than ever before. DAZN was founded with a vision of making premium sports more accessible, and what’s more accessible than centralizing rights for the first time while making all matches free on YouTube? Overnight, this will make the best women’s football easier to watch around the world than ever before. Along the way, we look forward to elevating live broadcast production, extending existing DAZN content franchises, and unveiling new shows that showcase the breadth and brilliance of women’s football.”
Subscribe today
To learn more, DAZN, YouTube, and UEFA invite all media and fans to become an early subscriber to DAZN’s brand new, dedicated UEFA Women’s Champions League YouTube channel – launched today and where all matches and content will live – and tune in to a special announcement event featuring all the individuals listed above and more, discussing the deal and what it means for the competition and women’s football overall.
*the People’s Republic of China, the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, the Special Administrative Region of Macau and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan).
