The Japanese arm of global subscription service DAZN has struck an extension of its rights deal with Belgian men's soccer's top-tier Pro League.
Through a multi-year tie-up, DAZN will provide coverage of the upcoming 2025-26 Pro League season inititally, with the 16-team competition currently containing 15 Japanese players (DAZN has claimed this is the highest number in any European league).
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This contingent includes eight Japanese players at the Sint-Truidense club, who are owned by Japanese e-commerce and IT firm DMM.
DAZN – which aired the Pro League in Japan last season as well – will cover at least three Pro League games each round, with one of those to be aired live in Japanese.
The upcoming Pro League season starts on July 26 (Saturday), with DAZN Japan's first game in Japanese to be the clash between Sint-Truiden and Gent.
This deal adds to the existing domestic coverage tie-up between DAZN and the Pro League, through which that subscription service's Belgian arm holds rights until 2030.
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By GlobalDataA deal to that effect was unveiled late last year, for €84.2 million (at the time, $87.5 million) per season. That equates to a significant value of the previous DAZN-Pro League domestic tie-up.
DAZN will also cover Belgian soccer's second-tier Challenger Pro League, the women’s Super League, the domestic Croky Cup, and the Supercup, domestically.
In Japan, meanwhile, DAZN also holds rights to other European soccer leagues, including those in Spain, Italy, and France.
For the Pro League, March saw the announcement that the competition will contain 18 teams from 2026-27. Of the 18 clubs, the top four will secure a spot in pan-European UEFA competitions the following season, while the bottom two will be relegated directly. There will be 34 matches played by each team in total.
