The organizers of Spanish women's soccer's top-flight Liga F have had to open a second round of bidding for the competition's broadcast rights for the upcoming 2026-27 season, after failing to shift any of the packages on offer during the first round.
None of the bids received by the league's governing body (the Liga Profesional de Fútbol Femenino) reached the reserve prices for the two lots available – €5 million ($5.7 million), and €2 million, respectively.
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The initial tender process for the 16-team Liga F opened on July 12, with this second round having got underway yesterday (August 12).
The first package of rights is for all eight matches per gameweek on pay-TV, with the second lot covering four games per round on free-to-air channels (these four would also be covered by the acquirer of the first lot).
The bidding deadline for this second round is August 19 at 12 pm, Spanish time. Liga F will then evaluate any proposals received during the next six days, and provisionally award the rights.
The provisional successful bidders will then have a further five working days to confirm the deal and formally sign off on their agreement.
This tender comes on the back of the league's previous deal with sports subscription heavyweight DAZN – that covered both domestic rights as well as several other territories – having come to an end following the conclusion of the 2025-26 Liga F season.
That tie-up – which also covered markets such as the UK – had initially been due to run between 2022 and 2027, but has now been brought to a halt a year early.
Even before the Liga F rebrand, which took place ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, the league (formerly known as the Primera Division) has been dominated by FC Barcelona, the record 11-time champions, who have won seven consecutive titles.
As such, the Catalan side receives the most money in broadcast rights distribution fees – of which €4.8 million was distributed by Liga F in total in 2024-25 (the last season for which accounts are available).
In terms of recent Liga F activity, earlier in the summer, Spanish basketball icon Pau Gasol completed a €55 million investment into the competition.
Gasol’s investment fund, Gasol16 Ventures, supported by Fortified Partners, has acquired between 35% and 49% of the future commercial revenue rights of the Liga F clubs for 25 years, ending with the 2050-51 campaign.
Four of the 16 clubs, however, have opted out, including both Barcelona and fierce rivals Real Madrid.
Last season, Barcelona won Liga F by 15 points, only dropping points in one game out of 30.
