The tender process for Spanish-language media rights in the US to European soccer's UEFA men's club competitions is now open. This significant development also extends to sub-Saharan Africa, marking a pivotal moment for live soccer broadcasts in these regions.
UEFA, European soccer's governing body, alongside its Relevent Football Partners agency, formally initiated the tender process yesterday. The rights cover the next four seasons of top-tier UEFA Champions League (UCL), second-tier Europa League, third-tier Conference League matches and four editions of season-opening UEFA Super Cup. The timeline for this tender runs between 2027-28 and 2030-31 seasons with a deadline for submissions set on June 8.
Current rights holders
At present, DAZN - a global sports streaming platform - holds the Spanish-language Champions League rights in the US. This deal was struck with original rights-holder TelevisaUnivision in mid-2025. The USA men's national team players who competed in this season's Champions League include stars such as Johnny Cardoso of Atletico Madrid and Weston McKennie from Italian giants Juventus. On another note, Paramount Global currently holds English-language rights after securing a deal back in 2022 that runs between 2024 and 2030.
Similar to its American counterpart, sub-Saharan Africa has also issued tenders for these major soccer rights covering UCL, Europa League, Conference League and Super Cup. These were sent out on May 18 with a submission deadline set on May 29.
Broadcasters holding current cycle rights include SuperSport (through Canal Plus) and New World TV among others. It is worth noting that sub-Saharan Africa has provided several players who feature prominently in this season’s UCL games.
Recent developments in UCL rights
In recent UCL rights activity, Hungarian commercial broadcaster RTL extended its deal for the top-tier tournament earlier this month. Through this agreement, RTL now holds rights to every UCL game across the 2027-28 to 2030-31 period.
UEFA and Relevent awarded these rights in a wide range of markets – across Europe and the Americas – at the end of April. The 'Big Five' European markets - UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France - had their UEFA competition rights allocated late last year.
This marked Relevent's first tender process management after replacing UEFA’s longstanding sales partner Team Marketing in that position in late 2024. The opening of Spanish-language media rights tenders for UEFA men's club competitions signifies an exciting time for sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts alike. With soccer gaining increasing popularity worldwide, these developments are set to further enhance global viewership and engagement with one of the world's most loved sports.
