Broadcast rights to European men's soccer's top-tier UEFA Champions League (UCL), for the next four-season cycle – beginning in 2027-28 – have gone out to tender in 19 markets today.
Governing body UEFA, through its partner agency Relevent Sports (which now has a dedicated Relevent Football Partners arm for its UEFA dealings), has begun tender processes in the following countries and regions: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Central America, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, South America (excepting Brazil), Sweden, and Switzerland.
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In essence, it extends across the majority of mainland Europe for which rights have not already been assigned, and also to South America.
The tenders cover the top-tier Champions League, the second-tier Europa League, and the third-tier Conference League, as well as the UEFA Youth League and the annual season-opening UEFA Super Cup.
The tenders that have gone live have a deadline for submissions of April 21 at 2 pm Central European Time.
A separate process in Hungary will begin on March 30 and will run until April 27, while a tender was run in the Netherlands between January 26 and February 26.
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By GlobalDataRights to these competitions have already been allocated in the 'Big Five' European markets of the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France, late last year.
Those covered four seasons (2027-28 to 2030-31) and were the first tender processes to be managed by US agency Relevent, which replaced UEFA’s longstanding sales partner Team Marketing in that position in late 2024.
Globally, UEFA is attempting to secure a 10% increase on the existing value of the rights.
The current rights, for the three-year cycle which got underway in 2024 and runs through 2026-27, are worth about £2.9 billion ($3.8 billion) per year, with Champions League clubs earning almost 75% of the revenue from UEFA’s rights sales.
Aside from the key quintet of European markets listed above, UEFA and Relevent have also selected one or more preferred bidders in Albania, Kosovo, and Japan, as well as for in-ship and in-flight rights (those rights have been held since the category was brought in by the Sport24 service).
It has also been announced that the first game each season from the UCL – on a Tuesday night, with the rest of the opening games following on the Wednesday and Thursday – will be a marquee and standalone fixture hosted by the winners of the previous season's competition.
These tenders are going live with the 2025-26 UEFA men's club competitions now in their knockout phases.
