Canal Plus, the international pay-TV giant, has secured exclusive domestic rights to European soccer’s UEFA club competitions for the next four-year cycle. The broadcaster will provide coverage of top UEFA club competitions in Poland, Austria, Switzerland and now Belgium for four seasons.
The broadcaster has obtained full rights to the elite UEFA Champions League matches, secondary Europa League and third-tier Conference League from 2027-2028 season through to 2030-2031. This move extends Canal Plus' coverage in Poland, Austria and Switzerland while introducing dedicated channels in Belgium.
In Poland, Canal Plus has retained full and exclusive rights to UCL. In Switzerland, it will continue showing one match per day from top-tier competition and either Europa League or Conference League on a co-exclusive basis. Meanwhile in Austria, Canal Plus will continue broadcasting Europa League and Conference league matches.
New additions
International sports streaming service DAZN is understood to have acquired UCL rights in Austria for the next cycle. There were also reports suggesting that Disney+ had secured rights in Belgium's market; however this was later confirmed by Canal Plus as their acquisition.
Regardless of whether it's Canal Plus or Disney+, they are required under Belgian legislation to provide free-to-air (FTA) coverage for any home games of Belgian sides competing as these fixtures are listed as protected events domestically.
Canal plus has a long-standing presence across multiple markets but did not operate a channel specifically for Belgium until now. The group operates through its subsidiaries Télésat (primarily French-speaking) and TV Vlaanderen (Flanders region), both part of M7 Group which was acquired by Canal plus back in 2019. This new development adds another feather to their cap after recently extending their exclusive rights to the three competitions in France until 2031.
UEFA's tender process
UEFA began its tender process for rights in several European, Central American and South American markets in early March. The process is managed by sports agency Relevent Football Partners and UC3, a joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA) that controls marketing, sales and delivery of commercial rights for club competitions.
According to The Guardian, Disney has been named as the preferred bidder in several European countries including Sweden. This means Viaplay will lose UCL rights in Sweden but will continue showing UEFA’s premier competition exclusively in Denmark.
Canal Plus' acquisition of exclusive domestic rights to UEFA club competitions marks a significant expansion of their coverage across Europe. With new dedicated channels launching in Belgium and extended coverage across Poland, Austria and Switzerland, Canal Plus continues to be a major player within international pay-TV broadcasting.
