Sky Italia, the pay-TV broadcaster, has recently acquired a new rights package from UEFA, the governing body of European soccer. This deal will enable Sky Italia to broadcast the final four UEFA Nations League matches and the European qualifying games for FIFA's 2026 World Cup.
The agreement comes after UEFA failed to secure a domestic broadcaster for its Nations League 2024-25 season matches. These games were made available through UEFA's platform, UEFA.tv. The new deal marks a significant milestone in sports broadcasting as it brings some of Europe’s most prestigious football events directly into Italian homes.
The upcoming Nations League finals tournament features top-tier teams such as France, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. The event is scheduled to take place in Germany from June 4th to June 8th.
Shared broadcasting rights
Under the new agreement, Sky Italia will share broadcasting rights with free-to-air (FTA) broadcaster TV8 for the first semi-final match between Germany and Portugal. Additionally, Sky's FTA channel Cielo will air the second semi-final match between Spain and France. The third-place final will also be available on Cielo. However, only subscribers of Sky's pay-TV channels can access the grand finale.
In addition to these high-profile matches, this package includes coverage of select group stage matches from the European qualifiers for FIFA’s 2026 World Cup. These games are set to begin on June 6th and continue until November, with qualifying play-offs slated for March 2026.
However, there are some limitations due to exclusive rights held by public broadcaster Rai. All games involving Italy’s national team will be aired by Sky Italia but on a delay basis. This delayed broadcast arrangement also applies to all Italian national team friendlies scheduled between March and June 2026.
Sky Italia’s expanding UEFA portfolio
This new package adds to Sky Italia's existing portfolio of UEFA rights. The broadcaster already holds exclusive rights to air 185 out of the 203 Champions League games per season until 2027. It also covers all second-tier Europa League and third-tier Conference League games.
Sky Italia also has exclusive broadcasting rights in Italy for the English Premier League and Germany's Bundesliga, further solidifying its position as a leading sports broadcaster in the country.
In related news, Amazon Prime Video will offer matches from the UEFA Nations League on a pay-per-view (PPV) basis. This is part of a broader deal for Amazon to provide all UEFA men's national team matches via PPV through June 2026, including select European qualifiers for FIFA’s 2026 World Cup, European international friendlies, and Nations League play-off games.
