Starting from this season, the UEFA Women’s Champions League has a new home.
Disney+ will be live broadcasting all 75 matches of the competition, from the opening game of the new league format in October to the final in Oslo in May 2026.
Fans will have the chance to follow their local teams in their own language. Every game will be available in English, plus the languages of the playing teams, with selected games also offered in more languages such as Swedish, Danish and Polish.
From the knockout phase onwards, all matches will be broadcast in a minimum of five European languages.
The broadcast team
ESPN will be producing all the live matches and the broadcast lineup includes former England internationals Alex Scott, Fara Williams, Lianne Sanderson and Ellen White.
Scott is joined by a stellar line-up of presenters including Jeanette Kwakye, Archie Rhind-Tutt and Gemma Soler.
Williams and White help make up an analysts team that includes former internationals like Vicky Losasda, Karen Bardsley, Josephine Henning, Siobhan Chamberlain, Emma Byrne, Merel van Dongen as well as Nedum Onuoha.
The commentary team is of similar pedigree and features Vicki Sparks, Anita Asante, Jacqui Oatley, Gilly Flaherty and Lucy Ward.
The highlights from the Women’s Champions League can be found on ESPN’s digital platforms in the UK and Europe.
– Full list of presenters, commentators and analysts for UWCL on Disney+
History of the UWCL
The first edition of the Women’s Champions League took place in 2001 and was called the UEFA Women’s Cup. Thirty-three teams took part, and the tournament was eventually won by FFC Frankfurt.
It was rebranded as the UEFA Women’s Champions League in the 2009-10 season, by which time there were 53 competing teams. It was also the season from which the two-legged final was shelved in place of a singular game. The group stage format was introduced in the 2021-22 season and continued until this year.
OL Lyonnes are the most successful team in the competition with eight titles, followed by Frankfurt with four. Ada Hegerberg is the all-time highest scorer in the UWCL with 66 goals. Wendie Renard is the record appearance holder.
New season, new UWCL format
The UWCL has moved to the Swiss model, in line with the shift made in the men’s Champions League last year. The 18 teams are placed in a single league, with each club playing six games each.
– ESPN’s comprehensive guide to the new UWCL format
The top four teams go directly into the quarterfinals, while teams finishing 13th place or lower are eliminated. The eight teams between fifth and 12th place enter a knockout phase playoff, with the four winners progressing into the quarterfinals.
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Bonmatí: New Women’s Champions League format improves competitiveness
Aitana Bonmatí speaks about the Women’s Champions League adopting the league phase format.
The contenders
Arsenal suffered a wobble in the League Phase and had to go through the playoff round to enter the quarterfinals, but they appear to be peaking at just the right time in the season. They overcame fellow WSL side Chelsea 3-2 on aggregate in the quarterfinals, riding on Alessia Russo’s superb all-round display. The forward’s stunning first-leg goal means she now has the most goals by an English player in a single UWCL campaign.
The Gunners face another semifinal meeting with OL Lyonnes, who will be out for revenge after last year’s defeat. The French side successfully overturned a 1-0 deficit from the first leg of their quarterfinal against Wolfsburg, winning 4-1 on aggregate. The record winners underwent a squad overhaul and brand update over the summer, and will be eager to begin this new chapter in thier history with their ninth European title.
Barcelona were denied a third-successive title last season and seem intent on making a swift return to the summit. They cruised through the League Phase unbeaten, scoring a mammoth 20 goals and demolished Real Madrid 12-2 in the quarterfinals. Captain Alexia Putellas is leading from the front — she has the most goal contributions of any player in the UWCL this season.
The Liga F side face a semifinal showdown against Bayern Munich, who have grown in stature through the tournament. The Bavarian club were beaten 7-1 by Barcelona in their opener, but haven’t lost a game since. They finished fourth in the League Phase, and overcame Manchester United 5-3 in a hard-fought quarterfinal.
– Putellas and Barcelona complete Madrid’s week of humiliation
– How Arsenal’s men’s and women’s teams can create Champions League history this season
– Cool Arsenal ensure Chelsea’s Champions League wait goes on
Disney+ has dedicated club pages for each of these teams, as well as the remaining 14, where you can access complete matches, highlights and interviews.
The fixture list
The semifinals and final will all be broadcast live on Disney+
April 25:
Bayern Munich vs Barcelona
ESPN | Disney+
Arsenal vs OL Lyonnes
ESPN | Disney+
May 2:
Barcelona vs Bayern Munich
ESPN | Disney+
OL Lyonnes vs Arsenal
ESPN | Disney+
FINAL:
May 22/23/24