WOWOW extends UEFA men’s club rights in Japan to 2030/31 and adds Women’s Champions League

UC3, UEFA’s joint venture with European Football Clubs (EFC), has agreed a new media-rights deal with Japanese broadcaster WOWOW covering UEFA men’s club competitions and the UEFA Women’s Champions League.The agreement runs until the end of the 2030/31 season and keeps WOWOW as the Japanese home of UEFA’s flagship men’s club properties, which it has aired since the 2020/21 season.Under the deal, WOWOW holds rights across Japan for the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Youth League.WOWOW will also carry the UEFA Women’s Champions League through 2030, marking the first time the broadcaster has secured rights to the women’s competition alongside the men’s package.Coverage begins with this season’s quarter-finals later this month, with ties including Wolfsburg v OL Lyonnes, Real Madrid v FC Barcelona, Manchester United v Bayern München and holders Arsenal v Chelsea.The arrangement extends WOWOW’s association with UEFA men’s club competitions to a decade, strengthening continuity for a subscription broadcaster that has leaned on premium live sport to drive retention and differentiate in a competitive Japanese pay-TV and streaming market.For UEFA and UC3, packaging women’s rights alongside established men’s competitions supports the push to grow audiences and partner investment in the women’s game, while giving broadcasters a clearer pathway to promote the UEFA Women’s Champions League within existing football subscriber bases.UC3 said it manages the commercial rights for UEFA’s elite men’s and women’s club competitions, including media, sponsorship and licensing, on behalf of UEFA and EFC, which represents more than 800 European clubs.The UEFA Women’s Champions League final is scheduled for May 23, 2026 at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo.